Something New
by MaddiexRose
Summary: Lucy's feeling something new for Natsu. Does he feel it too? Only time will tell. Until then, she has to deal with all the usual bits that come with being a Fairy Tail Mage; chaos, fights, enemies, and a resounding friendship. Fluff, Adventure and Lemons ahead! (EDITED AND COMPLETE!)
1. Chapter 1

**1. A New Mission and the Wrath of Lucy**

Sunlight streamed through the open window, bathing her room in a golden glow. Her soft, pink sheets were cocooned around her curvy figure like a protective shield. Even her tousled, blonde head was tucked under the covers, blocking out the morning light. After all, in Lucy's mind, 8 in the morning was far too early to be getting up on the weekend.

The stellar spirit mage gave a soft sigh, stretching languidly and pointing her toes. With a squeaky yawn, she curled her body back into a ball and relaxed back into her pillow. After a moment or two, her breathing slowed and sleep began to reclaim her.

While Lucy took a lazier approach to the dawn of a new day, certain dragon slayers were a bit more active. A set of fingers clung to the edge of her windowsill, hauling a mage in a grey muffler up onto the second storey of the apartment complex. The pink-haired man peeked through the glass. A second set of eyes, belonging to a winged blue exceed, joined him moments later. They shared a look, before turning back to the window. According to Natsu, mornings were for new adventures.

"LUCY!" he roared, barrelling through her window. "Let's go on a mission!" Happy catapulted onto her bed, as she promptly sat up and started screaming.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING IN MY ROOM!" she bellowed, searching for something to chuck at his stupid, grinning face. Her frantic fingers found purchase on an alarm clock. As it shot across the room and made contact with Natsu's head, a deafening ringing was emitted by the little clock. An empty glass followed it, smashing upon making contact with his shoulder. Natsu held up his arms in protection as a notepad rocketed in his direction. The pen that shadowed it hit Happy, who flew back into Natsu's arms weeping.

"Natsu, she hit me! She hit me!" he cried. The exceed turned to glare at Lucy. "You should give me a fish as an apology present!"

"An apology present? AN APOLOGY PRESENT!" she yelled, kicking off the sheets and storming over to the pair of intruders. The wave of terror that washed over them was incomparable to anything they'd ever felt.

"Natsu, I'm scared!" Happy wailed, burying his head in the fire dragon slayers arms. Natsu gulped.

"Me too, little guy," he whispered, shaking uncontrollably.

"How's THIS for an apology present?" A foot, clad in a fluffy pink bed sock, smacked into Natsu's gut, and he went flying out the window, calling her name as he fell.

Feeling an inkling of guilt, Lucy stomped over to the window to check if the two idiots were hurt. She looked out onto the street to see Happy holding Natsu by his arms, hovering in mid-air. The little blue cat looked fine, even if the same couldn't be said for the pink-haired mage.

"Huh, that wasn't so bad," he mused.

"_You_ didn't get kicked," Natsu groaned.

"Whatever, fatty. See you at the guild, Godzilla-Lucy!"

"Hey! I'm not fat!"

"Hey, I'm not Godzilla!

Lucy could vaguely hear the little cat arguing with Natsu as they disappeared into the horizon. Turning away from the window, she smiled to herself. She'd never admit it, but she actually kind of enjoyed Natsu's wake up calls. Even if they did interrupt her beauty sleep.

* * *

Half an hour later, Lucy wandered into the guild, dressed in her usual blue and white attire. With her keys strapped to her skirt, she was ready for a mission.

After winning the Grand Magic Games and surviving the chaos of the Eclipse Project, the whole of Fairy Tail was in good spirits. Master Makarov had been so proud, he'd used their winnings from the games to rebuild the guild hall to its former glory. Now complete with a new-and-improved bar, pool, courtyard, spa, library, training room and restaurant, Fairy Tail was back and better than ever.

Nab stood in front of the jobs board, staring thoughtfully at the many sheets of paper decorating it. Lucy joined him, giving a small smile. "Morning Nab! Picked out a job yet?"

A howl of laughter from the bar interrupted the towering man's response. "Bah! If he hadn't picked up one during the seven years you guys were in Tenroujima, he's never going to pick one up!" Wakaba crowed.

"It's not like you've done anything lately, you old fart!" Macao responded, punching the smoking man in the arm.

"What'd you call me, you senile asshole?" Wakaba yelled, punching him back. He spat his pipe out onto the bar counter, and cracked his knuckles.

"Look, you're memory's gone already! On your pension yet?" yelled Macao, launching another punch into his drinking buddy's side.

"Shut your trap, you old coot!" As a brawl erupted between the two men, Lucy noticed a gap in the board, where the cork was showing through. She noted that there were singe marks on the one of the papers next to the gap, and let out a sigh. It seemed that Natsu had already picked out a job for them.

"There you are Lucy! I thought you'd be too lazy to come!" A very familiar voice caused Lucy to turn around. Just as she had predicted, Natsu was holding a bit of paper in his hand. The number detailed at the bottom had at least eight digits. She had nothing against the healthy sum of money; she was more worried about the danger that came with it.

"I'm going to ignore that last part. What's the job?" she asked, resigning herself to whatever fate Natsu had planned

"Job?" he stared blankly at her for a second, before remembering the little sheet of paper. "Oh yeah! This is a great one, see? There's lots of fighting, and there's something about an ancient evil, and loads of danger, and-"

"That sounds like it should be on the S-Class board!" Lucy baulked, snatching the sheet of paper away from him. Before she had the chance to read, he grabbed her by the arm and whispered in her ear.

"It was! But I swapped the S-Class paper with a boring mission, so there's not a gap or anything! Aren't I smart?"

Instead of receiving a complement for his genius, he was rewarded with a smack over the head. "Idiot! Don't you remember what happened last time we took an S-Class mission? Erza will kill us!"

"She can't kill us if we're already on the mission, right? She can't find us either, 'cause she won't know we're gone! No gap, remember?"

"Don't you think a crumby mission will stick out on the S-Class board?" she said helplessly.

He thought for a moment, before shrugging. "Who cares? If we move fast, it won't matter if they find out later!"

"Then what was the point of trying to be stealthy in the first place?" she hissed, as Natsu dragged her out of the guild.

"It gives me an excuse to wear this." He held up a pair of black ninja masks, slipping on over his own head and throwing to other at Lucy. "Nin-nin!"

He started to run, still grasping Lucy's arm. His hands were almost uncomfortably warm. "C'mon, Happy and I already packed for you! I got everything while you were in the shower!" he said gleefully.

"You broke into my apartment again?" she roared, tearing her arm free. She pulled back her fist, preparing to knock his brains out, when something occurred to her. "Wait… You packed for me?"

He nodded, frozen to the spot. She took a shaky breath. "What exactly did you pack, Natsu?" she asked, eyes flashing dangerously.

"I-I…. Uh, just what's normally in your bag. That's the stuff that's usually in there, right?"

Lucy swiped the bag up, and unzipped it. Inside was a small mountain of bras and panties. It looked like he'd stuffed her entire underwear drawer into the one pack. There was lace, silk, everything she could have possibly imagined. He'd gone through it and stuffed it all in there, no matter how skimpy some of her unmentionables were.

It took all of her self-control not to kill him in that very moment. Before she summoned Cancer to chop off his fingers one by one, she noticed something else, tucked into the side of the pack. Her face turned, pink, and then red as she pulled out what was unmistakably a handful of tampons.

"Natsu," she murmured quietly, dropping the bag onto the street. "Natsu…"

She started towards him, hands balled into fists, trembling with anger and humiliation.

"Natsu... I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

* * *

The train from Magnolia Station had only departed a few short seconds ago, and yet Natsu was already keeled over, retching. He had a bucket on his lap, and his face was covered into bruises. One of his eyes had swollen shut. Happy had tied a bandage around his head, and was patting his back as his breakfast threatened to re-emerge.

Lucy had no sympathy for the motion sickness or the injuries. If it was up to her, he'd have two black eyes instead of one, but Happy had rescued him before she could do any further damage. Well, not so much of a rescue, actually. It was more of a 'pick-him-up-and-drop-him-somewhere-else-before-Lucy-knocked-him-unconscious'. Either way, Lucy was still furious with the pervert. She was even more furious when she discovered a small hole singed into the bottom of her favourite panties.

Revenge could wait. She was already starting to feel a little better about things. Maybe it was because of Natsu's motion sickness.

Lucy analysed the mission sheet again. It wasn't as scary as Natsu had made it sound. In fact, it seemed pretty tame compared to what he usually picked, actually.

_Please help us. I run a small beach-side hotel that has been plagued by angry spirits and ghosts over the last few months. I believe the cause of the disturbance to be linked to an old book I found in the basement that details an ancient evil. Anyone who can banish the spirits shall be rewarded with a hefty sum of cash._

_Alexander Breichs, White Shore Cabins_

_Reward: 128,000,000 jewels_

Apparently, the mages sent to solve the spirit crisis would get to stay in a private cabin as well, which meant no sleeping in tents. It also meant a gourmet breakfast buffet in the morning, as well as access to the day spa and pool. Natsu had actually picked the best possible mission. Lucy had seen some of the jobs on the S-Class board, and they did not look fun. It was almost always slaying a giant monster, or eliminating a dark guild. Lots of killing, and lots of fighting.

In fact, it was really strange that he hadn't picked one of those missions. He was more into smacking heads around than banishing vengeful ghosts. Maybe it was the whole 'ancient evil' thing that got him excited. He had gone on about it earlier. That was probably it.

Lucy looked out the windows and watched the landscape rush by. Yeah, she was angry. But most of that anger was directed at herself for not being more furious with him. The more she thought about it, the less she minded it. In fact, she was perfectly fine with him seeing her underwear. She _wanted_ him to see them.

Not that it mattered, anyway. Natsu was too slow. There's no way he would of thought of it the same way she did. What did underwear mean to him? To Natsu, it was just a bit of clothing. Clothes were clothes, regardless of where you wore them. What did it matter what they covered?

_Yep, that's his thoughts alright_, Lucy mused. Adorably innocent, loving and friendly, he'd probably have no concept of sexiness. Either that or he just didn't find her attractive.

Lucy felt a sudden urge to shatter the window. She turned back to Natsu, hugging his bucket.

_I can't let him know_.

* * *

**Yup, I'm one of those writers who leave pretty little notes at the end. Please take the time to read them- I'll keep it short. Pinky swear. Anyway, this is my first fan fic, and my first attempt at writing Fairy Tail. I see Lucy as temperamental, which will explain the whole 'Natsu-abuse' thing. However, I think she puts part of it on, which I hopefully conveyed here. As for Natsu, I think he's slow, but I don't think he's stupid. I personally think he understands things of a more adult nature, but sometimes misses the innuendo leading people to misconstrue that slowness as ignorance and innocence. Lucy (being one of those people) hasn't realised this.**

**Anyway, the next chapter will be up shortly. I plan on writing quite a bit on this. My goal is between 20 and 30 chappies of pure, NaLu goodness, plus whatever else I can think of. Expect some other couplings too. It's not like I only ship for one couple (*cough* GaLe, Jerza, Elfgreen, Gruvia, Super GaLe *cough*)**

**Thanks for reading! Please review and stuff. Feedback is much appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

**2. Arrival at White Shore and a Dark Book**

When the trio arrived at White Shore Station, it was already night time. The station was completely empty, with the exception of a weary-looking man in a ticket booth. An empty plastic bag cartwheeled across the dirty ground; the only movement in the entire complex.

"Wow, this place is so boring! Do you think the rest of the town is like this?" Natsu asked, looking a little depressed.

"It's night time, of course there's no one here!" Lucy snapped. She immediately felt guilty for yelling. "The town will be more lively, I'm sure. Just wait until morning." She fished out the brochure with the train times on it, and unfolded it. On the back, there was a detailed map of the town, highlighting anything a tourist needed to know about. Information centres, cafes, hot spots, and, of course, hotels.

Lucy traced a finger along the main roads, until she found what she was looking for. "Here we go! White Shore Cabins! Wow, it's just off the coast! We'll have a beachside view, guys!"

"You, know, we're not here for a holiday Lucy, you lazy-butt!" Happy chastised. She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I know, I know. But there's no reason we can't enjoy our mission, right?" The little cat just shrugged. "Think about it like this; beachside means we're right next to the ocean. And the ocean means fish!"

The effect was immediate. The exceeds eyes lit up, and he hovered off the ground with a look of pure ecstasy on his face "Fish?" he sighed happily, passing into a fish-induced trance. "I can bring one back for Charle!"

"Mmhmm, you sure can! Now let's go! Natsu?" she called. He was staring at something in the darkness. His enhanced senses must have caught something she didn't. "Natsu? Do you see something?"

"No… I _smell_ something." He suddenly ran off, disappearing into the darkness. Happy snapped out of his dream, and followed him.

"Hey! Wait up guys!" Lucy slung her bag back over her shoulders and dashed after them. Natsu was fast, and she didn't have his tracking abilities. If she didn't follow, she'd probably never find him again. "Don't you think chasing mysterious stuff in the night is a _bad_ idea?"

Up ahead, Natsu could smell something very strong. In fact, it wasn't just scent anymore. There was an aura that was getting stronger and stronger. It felt dark, too. Very dark and very old magic. He'd liken it to Zeref's aura, though far more diluted. He quickened his pace. Lucy and Happy were just behind him, he could smell them. The figure up ahead was getting closer, and he could definitely smell him. As the smell got more potent, a figure came into sight. Not only that, but the figure was holding something that looked awfully like a sword.

The figure was facing them, sword raised. Natsu saw a pair of wild, orange eyes come into view, and turned to Lucy. "Pulled out your keys now! Roar of the-"

And then, the figure vanished. The smell vanished, the aura dissipated, and Natsu was left alone. It was only then he realised he was standing on a small mountain of white sand. _White sand…. White Shore!_

Natsu looked over to the street. Lamps bathed the road in a dull, yellow glow. There was no sign of life anywhere else. The buildings lining the street were all locked and dark. In Magnolia, light would have been peering out the windows, and you would have heard people inside, talking and laughing. Here, there was only silence and darkness. Natsu didn't like it one bit.

"Hey! Where'd he go?" Happy called. Lucy followed him, keys out and ready to summon. She slowed to a stop, standing beside her partner.

"Natsu… Are you sure you actually sensed something?" Lucy frowned, tucking her keys back into their bag. She placed a hand on his shoulder, worried. He nodded, looking around confused.

"I smelt him. His magic was really old and really dark, but it seemed very… weak. Like it was just and illusion or something. Then, I saw these orange eyes. They looked really angry, and the guy had a sword raised over his head."

"Faint magic, huh?" Lucy took a deep breath. "Do you remember the mission brief?"

"Of course! We have to defeat and ancient evil and it's army of ghosts," he said, matter-of-factly. Lucy sighed, shaking her head.

"Uh, close enough. Natsu, as dumb as this sounds, I think you saw a _ghost_." He turned to face her, confused.

"So, what does that mean?" he asked. "Can I still kick it's ass?"

"No, dumbass. A ghost is a disturbed spirit. It has no corporeal form. It's just a lost soul," she explained. He gave her a quizzical look. "It doesn't have a body," she dumbed it down. "Punching a ghost would be like punching air; it has no effect."

"What? So I don't get to hit anything? That sucks!" Natsu groaned, hanging his head.

"We don't know that yet. Chances are, someone's summoning those ghosts. You'll probably get to hit them, if it makes you feel any better," Lucy comforted. "Now come on, we need to go talk to that hotel manager."

* * *

It seemed that luck was on their side, as White Shore Cabins was only 5 minutes up the beach they'd ended up at. Lucy found it curious that the ghost had appeared so close to the supposedly haunted hotel, but made no comment. After all, her present company probably wouldn't appreciate the insight.

Happy was soaked in sea water, after diving into the ocean in pursuit of fish. Natsu was soaked too, after diving in after him when Happy was 'attacked' by seaweed. Lucy was fairly certain he was sulking too. The motion of the waves had made him motion sick the moment he realised the water was moving. The current had pushed him back onto shore, green-faced and panting.

He then proceeded to throw up.

That '5 minutes' up the beach had become 25 when Lucy had to comfort them both before they could start walking again. She was fairly certain Natsu was now hydrophobic, though she still couldn't understand how the ocean could make you motion sick. Nevertheless, they finally made it to the hotel.

Which actually wasn't a hotel. Like the name suggested, it was a series of log cabins, set at the water's edge. It was rustic and charming, with a small campfire area and wooden chairs set out on the porch.

The main reception building was slightly taller than the other cabins, but built out of logs like everything else. Really, the only thing that gave it away was the large, hand painted sign, emblazoned with the word 'RECEPTION' in large, red letters. Natsu and company climbed up the stairs to the front porch, ducking under heavy, metal lanterns flickering with candlelight. With his usual disregard other people's property, Natsu kicked the door open, ignoring the handle, and walked up to the front desk.

"Why didn't you just _open it_," Lucy groaned. "You know, like a normal person?" She shoved him aside, and tapped on the little silver bell sitting on the counter. There was no response. She waited a moment, before tapping it again. "Hello, Mr Breichs?" she called. "We're from Fairy Tail."

"Yeah, we're here to kick some ghost ass!" Natsu added.

"Didn't she say ghosts don't have asses?" Happy asked, looking confused.

"Don't be ridiculous, Happy! Everything has an ass! Lucy's just being weird," he dismissed.

"Lucy's _always_ weird!" The exceed complained, flying up onto Natsu's shoulder. His wings vanished seconds later. "Hello? Is anyone home?"

"This is strange. Should we have a look around? Maybe he's working somewhere on the grounds. Do manager's do that?" Lucy wondered, turning to leave.

"Come one Happy, let's follow the weirdo," Natsu said.

"Ahem? Did someone call?" a voice asked from the front desk.

"KYAAH!" Lucy yelped, shooting into the air, she reached for her keys, turning back around. Her arm froze when she saw an elderly man in a brilliant purple cloak. He looked to be hunched over, with a back almost parallel to the ground. Pushing his spectacles up his nose, he squinted at the mages before him.

"Would you travellers care for a room?" he asked, still squinting.

"Uh, actually, we're from Fairy Tail. You sent for some help with ghosts?" Lucy replied, holding up the job sheet.

"Oh, yes of course! So those are your guild marks then? Those pink and red things?"

Unconsciously, both Natsu and Lucy looked to the respective marks. "Um, yes… Anyway, the ghosts? Would you be willing to answer a couple of questions about them?" Lucy asked. _Why did he bring up our guild marks? _

"Sure, sure. Come through to the back, I just put on a pot of tea."

* * *

"So, when did they first start to appear?" asked Lucy. She sat in a lumpy green armchair with a cup of tea in her lap. Natsu sat in a similar chair, Happy sitting on his lap. He'd passed on the cup of tea, and eyed the old man with a curious look. He hadn't spoken two words since Mr Breichs's arrival.

"When did what start to appear?" Mr Breichs queried, looking completely befuddled.

"_The ghosts_, Mr Breichs," Lucy repeated. If she hadn't seen one earlier herself, she'd have been convinced the old man was seeing things. He had no memory of anything more than a minute ago, and seemed completely unreliable. Annoying though it was, Lucy felt sorry for him at the same time. From the looks of things, he was all alone up here.

"Oh right! Of course! Yes, well, I think it was about three months ago, there was a young man staying here. It was very late, and everyone had gone to bed, and he came up to the reception desk and complained about noises coming from the roof. He left the next day, and I went up to investigate. That's when I saw it; a shadowy figure with glowing, red eyes. He vanished moments later, so I didn't have a chance to further investigate, but I keep seeing them all over the premises. They're always a little bit different, though. Some have green eyes, some have red eyes, some have blue eyes, some have…" he trailed off, into a list of eye colours. When he got to colour number 9 (pink), Lucy cut him off.

"What was that book you mentioned in the job sheet? The one depicting an ancient evil?" she asked, placing her cup of tea on a side table. Immediately, the old man went quiet. He licked his lips, and pushed his spectacles up his nose again. He had a habit of doing that. It was quite distracting.

"Yes… The book," he swallowed, before getting shakily to his feet and wandering away. Lucy frowned, and was about to inquire as to where the hell he was going, when she felt a hand wrap around her wrist. Lucy turned to Natsu, who looked somewhat panicked.

"Lucy, remember the ghost thing? Remember the strange aura and musty smell I told you about?" he hissed into her ear. She nodded, giving him a quizzical look. Natsu gestured to the doorway the old man had retreated through. "That guy had the same scent and the same aura. I think he's a ghost!"

Lucy frowned and shook her head. "It's not possible. He picked up that tea pot a moment ago. Ghosts can't interact with the physical world, remember? Are you sure it's him you smell, and not, say, something on the premises?"

"I-I don't know. I'm pretty sure," he asserted, doubting himself a little. Lucy was smart, she knew about these things. Even so, he was sure the smell had been coming from him. Had his nose been fooled?

"Here." Both mages jolted. Mr Breichs had re-entered the room with impossible silence, clutching a thick, dusty book in his arms. "I found this in the basement below the reception building. No one's ever been down there in my time; it was sealed off. But when the hauntings started happening, I got worried and wanted to investigate. Anyway, I couldn't read too much of it, my eyesight's gone downhill a little, but I got the gist of it. I think the book talks about some kind of prophecy. I could be wrong, but I think it details the prophesised resurrection of a very powerful, very dark sorcerer. Feel free to study it."

"If you don't mind me asking, Mr Breichs, how long have these cabins been here?" Lucy asked, wondering about the time period. The time of Zeref was 400 years ago, he was the first person to jump to mind at the mention of 'powerful, dark sorcerer'. If this place was any older than 300 years, she'd worry it was written within that basement itself. Mr Breichs looked incredibly old, so 'his time' would be pretty considerable. And if a dark mage had written an ancient, powerful spell book down there, the hauntings could be far more sinister than they appeared.

"Hmm, I'm not quite sure. I think about 150 years or so. They're quite old, but they've been refurbished in recent years, so they're quite safe. No need to worry young lady," he smiled.

"Thank you, Mr Breichs," said Lucy, feeling quite relieved. "You've been very helpful. I promise, we'll get rid of the ghosts for you." She stood to leave, as did Natsu.

"Here, I'll show you both to your cabins," he said, passing the heavy tome to Lucy.

"Both? What about me?" Happy frowned, crossing his arms. Mr Breichs looked around, startled. His eyes landed on Happy.

"Oh my gosh! A talking cat!" he gasped. Lucy rolled her eyes. _You only just noticed the blue cat? Seriously?_

Happy grinned, flexing his furry little biceps "I know, I'm awesome, right?"

"My apologies, sir and madam, but no pets are allowed in the cabin." Happy's jaw dropped.

"Hey, I'm not a pet! I'm a member of Fairy Tail, jerk!" Happy yelled.

"Hey, he's not a pet! He's a member of Fairy Tail!" Natsu yelled at the same time as Happy. Lucy, attempting diplomacy, grabbed Natsu by the shoulder and held him back.

"I'm sorry, sir, but Happy here is a member of our team. Can't we just have an exception this time?" she begged, shooting the elderly man her best smile. He just shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but that cat can't be in the cabin. If you like, he can stay here in the reception. We have a kennel out back he can sleep in."

"A kennel?" Happy breathed aghast. "Kennels are for dogs! I'm an exceed! Not a dog, an exceed!"

"Are you sure you can't-" Lucy argued back.

"Positive. Either he stays in the kennel, or he has to leave."

"Hey, that's my friend you're talking about," Natsu roared, setting his fist alight. "If he can't stay with us, we refuse to help you!"

"Natsu! We can't go back now, they will have already discovered we've gone. Think of Erza." That did the trick. Natsu stilled completely, flaming fist extinguished. "Now shut up for a second. I'll deal with this," Lucy said, turning to the indignant exceed. "Happy, if you stay in the kennel tonight, I'll go to the markets and buy you a massive fish tomorrow. Ok?"

Happy looked conflicted. "Fish," he mused, thinking quietly. "Fine! But I get to pick out the fish, ok?"

"Ok," Lucy smiled. "Thank you Happy." Natsu still looked furious about the arrangement, but said nothing. Mr Breichs, on the other hand, looked pleased.

"Thank you, Mam. Now, let me show you all to your lodgings. You too, little cat."

* * *

**Well, here you go. Chapter 2. Please rate and review! Feel free to leave any theories about what you think is g****oing on. Also, expect some proper NaLu action next Chapter! **


	3. Chapter 3

**3. Cabin-Sharing and a Spell Unravelled**

"…and this will be your room. I hope it is to your liking," Mr Breichs announced with a wave of his withered hand. Lucy looked at Natsu, and then looked back at the old man. He didn't seem to be addressing one of them specifically.

"Um, which one of us is in this room?" Lucy asked awkwardly. Mr Breichs looked surprised. Lucy noted the expression and felt a rising panic. _Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. Don't tell me…_

"Oh, you two are sharing. I hope you don't mind, I just don't want to occupy anymore cabins then I have to," he said.

"But you have tonnes of vacancies, right? Surely one more wouldn't be an issue?"

"Sorry, Miss…?

"Heartfilia. Lucy Heartfilia."

"Miss Heartfilia. Sorry, but it's just not possible. If I'm to run a profitable business, I have to take these kinds of measures. Besides, you and Mr…?"

"Natsu Dragneel," Lucy growled menacingly.

"Yes, you and Mr Dragneel are in the same guild, right? So it shouldn't be a problem, right? Anyway, Goodnight and good luck!" Before Lucy had a chance to argue further, he tottered off into the night, practically disappearing. Lucy's jaw dropped. _If he's so concerned about those ghosts, he could be a bit more hospitable to the people getting rid of them!_

"Oh well. Come on Lucy, let's get to bed," Natsu said, walking in and dropping his bags at the foot of the bed. Lucy trailed after him, feeling like she was in some kind of ridiculous dream. Eventually, she found her voice again.

"Y-you… You don't mind sharing with me?" Lucy asked, taken aback.

"Of course not. We're partners. Partners share. Why would I mind?" he responded, looking confused. There it was again, that obliviousness. He couldn't see anything sexual about sharing a bed with her. It made things so much harder, knowing he wouldn't understand her feelings, no matter how strong they were. Lucy swallowed, looking away.

"Thanks, Natsu," she said quietly. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. Lucy grabbed her bag, still packed with Natsu's idea of her 'usual gear', and locked herself in the tiny bathroom. She unzipped the bag, and fished around. She felt her fingers brush something silky, and pulled out a lavender bra, lined with black lace. Did he feel anything for her, when he saw this? Anything at all?

She cast it away, and emptied the contents of the bag onto the grimy white tile. The mountain of underwear tumbled out, followed by the baggy white t-shirt she wore to bed, and a small piece of paper. Lucy frowned. What was that?

Lucy picked up the bit of paper and quickly realised it was a note. She began to read.

_Dear Lucy,_

_I hope I got all your stuff! This is gonna be a great mission!_

_P.S. Where do you put your butt in those things?_

Lucy glanced over to the pile of panties, and pulled out a very lacy, very skimpy G-string. _You mean these, Natsu?_

She shook her head, and started shoving everything back into the bag. She left out a pair of cotton boy shorts, the least racy thing in there, for bed.

She didn't feel mad at him. She didn't feel anything at all.

* * *

When Lucy finally emerged from the bathroom, she was dressed for bed. Natsu sat on the mattress in just his boxers. He looked very sleepy. When he saw her, he smiled and stood up. "Hey Luce," he greeted, voice husky. "Are you ok? You seemed kind of upset before. Do you not want to share with me?"

Lucy smiled and shook her head. "No, I don't mind sharing with you. I'm fine." Before she could walk away, she felt a set of arms wrap around her, and she was pressed against a rock-hard chest. Natsu rested his head on top of hers as she stood, stunned, in his arms.

"You can tell me anything, Lucy. You know that, right?" he asked. Lucy could feel his throat rumble as he spoke. It was kind of tickly, in a warm, comforting way. She felt herself relax into his embrace. Lucy smiled into the crook of his neck.

"Yeah, I know," she whispered. She felt him move her backwards a couple of steps, before, picking her up and laying her on the bed. She was shocked by the sudden movement, but didn't yell or jump. She felt too content for that.

Natsu got on the other side of the bed, and shot her a smile. "I promise I won't touch you," he said quietly, taking her hand. Lucy's eyes widened. He'd realised she was upset, but he'd thought… He'd thought she was scared he'd take advantage of her?

"Natsu… I trust you to take care of me," she smiled, leaning into him. This time it was Natsu's turn to be surprised. Was she going to let him hold her or something? After a moment of thought, he flicked off the light and pulled the sheets up over them. Wrapping his arms around her, he felt something strange. Something he hadn't ever felt before.

Before he could think his next actions through, he pressed his lips to her forehead. Lucy's eyes snapped open as she felt the soft, chaste kiss against her skin. Thoughts raced through her head. _He's kissing me… He's holding me… He's protecting me… He likes me?_ Before she had time to think further, he pulled back. "Good night, Lucy."

Lucy felt torn. For a split second, she wanted to lean up and kiss him back, on the lips this time. _But would it be too far_? Lucy just smiled, too happy and too sleepy to ponder anymore. That kiss could wait. For now, she was just happy to be in his arms.

"Good night, Natsu."

_I love you, _she finished in her head.

* * *

When Natsu woke the next morning, her could feel something light and soft spread over his upper chest, and a heavier pressure just above his hips. As he blinked away the dazed remnants of sleep, he remembered Lucy and the night before. He wasn't sure how, but she had ended up lying on top of him.

With her head resting on his chest, and her boobs resting next to his-

Natsu's eyes snapped wide open. He looked down at Lucy. Her face was angelic in sleep, with her soft, blonde hair cushioning her pink cheeks, and soft, slow breaths drifting from an open mouth. She was so peaceful; he didn't really want to wake her.

Natsu felt something stir in his boxers, and his mind was made up. "Lucy," he hissed. "Lucy! Wake up!" He watched for a moment, waiting for a response. She let out a soft moan, not helping the situation down below. "Lucy!" he called, a little louder. "Oy, Lucy!"

His prayers were answered, as her eyes drifted open, brown and hazy. "Mmph,' she groaned. "Morning Nat-"

"I need to pee!" he yelled, and somehow, defying all laws of physics, vanished from beneath her and fled to the bathroom within the space of a mere second. Lucy watched as the door slammed behind him, jolting her from her sleepy state. She blinked stupidly, before sighing and collapsing into a pillow again.

It had been the best sleep of her life, and she had no idea whether or not he shared the notion.

Lucy stared blankly at the ceiling, thinking about the dragon slayer she'd spent the night with. It was so strange to her; how she could love so many different things about the one person. When they'd arrived at White Shore, he was normal Natsu; playful and happy, if a little immature. Then, when he saw she was upset, he went through a complete character overhaul. Suddenly, he was her rock, supporting her and caring for her. Lucy loved both faces. She loved that he was fun and exciting, and she loved that he cared so much about the people in his life. About his family. About her.

Lucy looked over to the clock on the bedside table, and gasped. It was 5 in the morning! The sun had barely started to rise! Was Natsu always up this early?

Natsu twisted the taps on the furiously, until a cold jet of water spouted from the showerhead. He didn't know much about this himself, but he'd heard some of the guys back at the guild talking about the wonders of cold showers. The ice exhibitionist didn't think they helped at all, for obvious reasons.

The icy water was shocking and uncomfortable, but it did the trick. After a minute or so, he felt the pressure ease in his crotch, and his awkward erection was gone. Natsu sighed in relief, and leaned against the wall of the shower. Lucy would kill him if she found out how his body reacted to hers, he was sure of it.

_Maybe she wouldn't_, a little voice argued in his head. _Maybe she wants the same things_. Natsu thought for a moment, before shaking his head. Lucy was his friend. Unless she gave a sign that she wanted what he did, he'd respect her and treat the way he always had. Natsu nodded to himself, happy with his decision.

He dried himself off and pulled his boxers back on. Just before he joined her back in the bedroom, he had another, resounding thought.

_Well, maybe I can treat her a little differently._

* * *

Lucy felt the bed dip on one side, and looked over to see Natsu. He smiled at her. "Morning Luce! Sleep ok?"

"Yeah. Better than ok," she told him honestly. There was a moment of silence between them, where neither was quite sure what to say. Lucy watched him quietly for a moment, transfixed. He'd grown so much over that last two years (technically, it was nine). He wasn't the same boy she'd met on the train all that time ago. Yeah, he still had his name and face, but Natsu had grown, both in power and as a person. He wasn't just a friend anymore, nor was he just a team member. He was something more, though she wasn't quite sure what that something was. _And right now, I'm not sure I care._

The reality of being on a mission quickly came crashing down on her. "Hey, Natsu? Do you think we should take a look at that book?" she asked, sitting up. Natsu paused as if he wanted to say something, then just shrugged.

"I don't know. You're the book person," he said, scratching his head. "What did that old freak say again? Didn't it say something about a Professor?"

Lucy sighed, shaking her head. "_Prophecy, _not _professor_. And I think he read it wrong." Lucy heaved the book onto her lap, running her fingers along the golden lettering on the spine. It was written in an old language Natsu didn't recognise, but seemed to strike a chord with the stellar spirit mage. "These runes declare it as a spell book, not a book of prophecy. But he was right about one thing; it's full of dark magic. You can feel it right?"

Natsu nodded, looking away. "It burned my nose all night," he grumbled. He skipped over mentioning that he'd buried his face in her hair to hide the smell.

Lucy gave him a look. "You're a _fire _mage, how can anything burn any part of you?!" She shook her head, looking back to the book. "Anyway, I'm just trying to figure this out. That old man thought it prophesised the resurrection of a dark wizard, but I don't think he's quite right." She carefully opened the battered, leather cover, and traced the faded words with her index finger. Natsu watched on, curious.

Her finger paused at what appeared to be a list. Lucy chewed her lip. "Mr Breichs was close. This isn't a prophecy for a dark wizard's resurrection. It's a spell to bring him back to life." She turned to the dragon slayer next to her, looking worried. "This is really bad, Natsu. Look here."

Natsu looked to where she was pointing. The letters were in the same strange language as the title, and he had absolutely no clue what any of it meant. "Uh, Luce? I can't-"

"This is a list of reagents for the spell. The first ingredient is the souls of a hundred mages. It says here that the souls must be drawn to the one place, then burned with the rest of the ingredients." Lucy shivered. "It's horrible. Can you imagine someone burning you from the inside out? That kind of torture, even for the dead…. It-it's unspeakable!"

Lucy looked distraught, it was instinctual for him to want to wrap his arms around her. So he did. Natsu held her, still unsure quite what was going on. "It's ok, Luce. We won't let those people be hurt like that. I swear, we won't."

Lucy leaned deeper into his embrace. She gave him a worried look. "Don't you see? Those souls are already being drawn here. We don't know how many have come, and we don't know who's doing it. All we know is that they're congregating _here_." She frowned, shutting the book. "I-I don't know how much we can do. It's just… it must be torment for those poor spirits, being caged like animals."

"Well, we'll do everything we can, right? We still have time, we can stop whoever's doing this. Now come one, let's go get Happy." Lucy looked up at Natsu, surprised. She felt a very strong urge to dive back into the comfort of his embrace.

Instead, she just smiled. "Yeah. I _do_ owe him a fish!"

* * *

**Hey everyone! Thanks for the feedback on the last couple of chapters. It's awesome to know I have such great support already. I'm really excited about this! I have Followers and Favourites already; it's incredible!**

**Anyway, the next chapter will be up in a day or so. Expect a bit more Nalu action; a cabin on their own can lead to some unexpected (and fun) adventures *wink*!**

**Thanks for reading! Rates and Reviews are much appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**4. The Markets**

"Natsu! Natsu! NATSU!" Happy wailed, thrashing around on the floor. "It was HORRIBLE! The kennel was cold and smelly and it was full of dog hair and made scary noises and I SAW A GHOST!" he suddenly yelled again, grabbing the tail of Natsu's coat. Tears streaked down his cheeks, and his lip quivered uncontrollably. It was impossible for Lucy _not_ to feel guilty about leaving him there. But, he had said something that demanded more of her attention.

"It's ok, Happy. You won't have to stay there again, we'll work something out! There's no way I'm letting you stay in there for another night!" Natsu declared furiously, scooping the traumatised exceed into his arms.

"Happy, did you say you saw a ghost?" Lucy asked, trying to be tentative. The little blue cat turned his head to her and gave a slow nod, still shaking and crying. "Can you tell me where it went or what it did?"

"It was really REALLY scary! It looked like it was made of shadow and its eyes glowed like a demon! It glided across the grass and gave me an evil look-"

"Wait, it has no face! How can it give you an evil look with no face?" Natsu interrupted, frowning slightly. Happy glared at him.

"It's a ghost! Ghosts _always _have an evil look!" Happy argued, crossing his paws.

"Nu-uh! Mavis doesn't have an evil look, and _she's _a ghost!"

"Yeah, but she's a Fairy Tail ghost!" Happy asserted. He paused for a moment. "And she has a nice face. Not like Lucy," he added, sticking his tongue out at the stellar spirit mage.

"Hey, leave my face out of this, jerk!" Lucy yelled, raising her hand threateningly at the exceed.

"Lucy's face looks ok!" Natsu defended. "It's pretty nice, actually."

The face in question turned a very noticeable shade of pink. Lucy turned to Natsu, trying in vain to dull the blush in her cheeks. She tried her hardest to glare at him, but couldn't coax one out. "S-shut up," she murmured, giving him a half-hearted shove. It wasn't enough to push him back an inch.

Happy looked at them for a moment, perplexed. "Wow, Lucy's weirder than normal this morning! Did you eat something gross?"

"Shut up, cat!" she roared, with much more ferocity than she mustered for Natsu. Lucy grumbled something indiscernible under her breath, before letting out a sigh. "Look, I think we should go into town and have a look around. If we can talk to a few people, maybe we can weed out anyone shady who's arrived in town recently," Lucy suggested, trying to stay on track.

"Will you buy me that fish you promised?" Happy asked cautiously. Lucy rolled her eyes in response, then glanced at Natsu. He gave her a slight smile, flashing his pointed canines. For a brief moment, she yearned to go back to their cabin and rest in his arms some more.

Unfortunately, they had business to attend to. Lucy looked back to the Happy, who was stilling eyeing her with the '_you promised_' look. "Fine, fine. But no more insulting my face."

"Aye, sir!"

"I'm not a 'sir'!"

* * *

The town of White Shore seemed just as hostile during the day as it had during their night time arrival. Now, exposed to the full glare of daylight, Lucy could see just how broken-down the place was. Windows were boarded over with rotting wood while cold, calculating eyes peeped out. There were shards of broken glass lying in the gutter, accompanied by a thick, gloopy puddle of something Lucy didn't _want _to recognise. The worst part by far was the silence. The place already looked and smelled dead, it didn't need to sound dead as well. That quietness filled Lucy with a building tension, as if something was going to jump out at her.

Then she remembered who she had with her, and the tension eased a little. Only a little, mind you, but it was enough.

"Lucy! I thought you said it'd be less boring in the daytime," Natsu groaned. "Why are we even here?"

_Because you picked an S-Class job!_ "Ssshh! Don't be rude!" _I hate it too_. "Look here,' Lucy said, pointing to a small red dot on the map. There was a little fish symbol next to it. "This is a fishing town, so hopefully we'll be able to find some people to speak with at the fish markets."

"Fish…" Happy repeated dreamily. A fine string of drool dripped from his mouth. No one paid him any attention.

"Fish markets? That's still boring! Can't we go to some kind of deadly forest filled with monsters or something?" Natsu whined, throwing his arms behind his head and stretching. "Besides, this place smells funky."

"You don't voluntarily wander into deadly forests! Besides, who could we talk to in there? A kindly monster?" Lucy fumed, rolling up the map again. She stuffed it back in her handbag with an air of finality. "C'mon, we're already here. Look ahead!"

Sure enough, there was a cluster of wooden trays filled with fish carcasses and other sea food. Even from halfway down the street, the aroma of fish was overpowering. Lucy froze on the spot and covered her nose from the odour, Happy shrieked and conjured his wings, zooming over to the stand faster than Lucy could blink. Natsu had stopped moving altogether. With his enhanced sense of smell, the stench of fish was even more potent.

"Lucy," he groaned, burying his nose in Igneel's muffler. "This place smells like crap! It's even worse than before!"

Lucy gagged, taking a tentative step forward. "Stop…" she paused, fighting the urge to throw up "Bitching."

Natsu snorted, then threw his hands over his mouth. "Like…You…Can…Talk…" he huffed out weakly, pressing forward to match Lucy's position. "C'mon, we promised-Ugh!" Natsu coughed and spluttered, a he caught wind of another foul scent. "Magnolia's fish markets never…. Smelt this…. Bad!"

With incredible perseverance, they managed to reach the first stand. A little old woman squatted behind the stand, while Happy browsed the array of slimy, grey fish with sparkling eyes. "I want this one! No, this one! No this one! Wait, Lucy, get me the BIG ONE!" Lucy followed his gaze to see the 'BIG ONE'. It was a dull red colour, twice the size of the cat himself. There was a strange growth on the side of its neck that looked like a second, miniature head. It looked repulsive, but the exceed thought it was a slice of heaven. A small, folded sign priced it at 5000 jewels. Lucy sighed, turning to the old lady.

"Um, can we please have…." She stopped to point to the ugly red fish. "That one."

The lady grunted in response. "8000 jewels," she replied, sticking out a grubby hand expectantly. Lucy baulked.

"Wha- But t-the price said 5000!" Lucy argued, sticking her hands on her hips.

"Whatever, blondie. Tough times call for tough prices." Lucy flashed back to her battle with Flare Corona at the mention of 'blondie'. The blood rushed to her cheeks, and she gave the woman an evil glare.

"I'll pay 5000, or it's no sale. I refuse to pay anything more for…. That thing."

"S'not my problem. Either you buy the fish or you get out of my breathing space," the woman grumbled, giving Lucy the stink eye. Lucy breathed through her teeth, then turned to Happy.

"Are you sure it has to be this fish," she asked. Happy nodded vigorously.

"The big one! You made me stay in that kennel, so I want my fish!" the exceed insisted. Natsu nodded in agreement, standing a few feet back from the stand.

"You did promise," he answered, voice muffled. Lucy noticed he was talking through his scarf. It was wrapped around his head like a ridiculous mask, with spikes of pink hair poking out at strange angles.

She slammed a couple of notes down on the stand and sighed. "We'll take the stupid fish." The old hag smirked, snatching the money away. She pulled out a couple of sheets of brown paper and began to carefully wrap the fish up, tying it off with bits of twine.

"Excuse me, Mam, but you said your business had fallen on hard times?" Lucy asked, taking a stab at being civil. The old lady muttered under her breath, before looking up from her work.

"Yeah, and what would a ditz like you care about it?" she responded, raising a thick, grey eyebrow. Lucy ignored the jab.

"Can I ask why?"

"Sounds like you just did, blondie." The old woman let out a morose sigh. "Something's gone and scared the fish miles away from these waters. My Roger hasn't come back with a good haul in days. Can't you smell it?" The old lady inhaled deeply, giving Lucy a flash of some nasty looking nasal hair. "That ain't the smell of fresh fish. That's the old, crappy stuff that the sellers pull out when they got nothing else left. The stank is foul and it doesn't taste half as good, but fish is fish. People'll take what they can get at this point."

She tied the last knot of, pulling it viciously tight. The old lady slid the fish across the counter, and into Happy's welcoming grasp. "Do you know what it is that's been scaring the fish away?" Lucy pressed, getting interested. Could the spirits have anything to do with the towns suffering?

The fish-seller gave her a look. "What do you think of ghost stories, blondie?"

"Enough to take you seriously," Lucy replied, getting very interested very quickly. "Care to elaborate?"

She shrugged, planting her hands on the wooden bench. "It all started around a month ago. My Roger was tying his dinghy off at the docks, when he saw a couple of shadows from the corner of his eye. Didn't take it seriously at first, 'cause he vision's getting bung, but when he turned around, he realised that the shadows weren't on the ground; they were standin' upright, like a person! Almost gave him a heart attack!" She said, shaking her head. "Anyway, Roger legged it after that. When he came back, 'bout ten minutes later, his dinghy was gone, along with all the fish in it. The net time he got a boat out on the water, he came home without a single bite. Things just went downhill from there, with a new shadow being sighted every night. There was always one, and only one, roaming the streets. People boarded up their houses at night as protection, but it hasn't done any good to save our fishing industry"

She gave Lucy a sad look. "Roger's had to sail up the coast just to scrap together enough for our own feed. The waters up there are dangerous, and fish are scarce, but we got a better shot up there than back here,' she finished bitterly, balling her crinkled hands into a fist. "Personally, I reckon we've been cursed."

"Cursed? Why do you think that?"

"We've had widespread misfortune ever since then. It's not just the fish that are disappearing, it's the people too. Old Mr Harrigan went missing around the time the shadow appeared, and he was an damn good mage! Could've zapped any normal intruder. It would've taken something damn strong to topple him; a force of nature."

"Was he the only disappearance?" Lucy asked urgently. This sounded quite suspicious. A powerful mage, disappearing when the ghost first appeared. _Could he have been responsible?_

The fish-seller thought to herself for a moment. "Yeah, so far. But it's only a matter of time before more people go missing. No one's dared to set foot in this town for weeks. You people are the first tourists we've had in a long while."

This was sounding increasingly suspicious. _No new faces, and an old, powerful one has disappeared. Maybe it's worth checking up on this old timer_. "I don't mean to pry any further, but where did Mr Harrigan used to live?" Lucy inquired.

"Nah, it's fine. Mr Harrigan ran a little trinket shop by the bay. It's quite isolated actually, a few miles north of here. You see that cliff face?" she asked pointed across the water. Lucy followed the gesture, seeing a large, purplish block set over the water. It was quite far away, she couldn't see very clearly.

"Just barely. Is that where he lived?" she questioned, squinting into the distance.

"Yeah. He lived on the second storey of that shop. Sold all kinds of things, Mr Harrigan did. Magical curios, cursed knick-knacks, lots of weird stuff. He was quite a peculiar man."

"Thanks Mam, you've been a lot of help. Have a nice d-AAARGH!"

Lucy was yanked by the arm by an unseen force, printing to keep up with the phenomenal pace. She turned to the owner of the hand, and was unsurprised to see Natsu, with his muffler back around his neck. "What the hell are you doing? I just got us a lead, dumbass!"

"Lucy, shut up for a second!" Natsu hissed, speeding up slightly. He looked dangerously determined.

Lucy gaped. He'd never told her to shut up before, not once. Especially not with that kind of tone. Did she sound that horrible when she yelled at him? "N-Natsu," she murmured, feeling hurt.

"Shhh! Lucy, I smell it again! The same smell from last night! There's another ghost wandering around!"

Instantly it clicked in her head, and Lucy could have kicked herself. "Right," she nodded. "Then we better not waste any time!"

* * *

**Firstly, I just wanted to thank everyone for their feedback. It's so incredible to know that people are actually reading and responding to my work. A particular shout out to PhoenixedDragon for taking the time to write such a detailed slice of feedback. I'm so happy that you like the way I've portrayed the characters!**

**Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed Chapter 5. I've been upload once a day day, but I might slow down a little. How does a Chapter every two days sound? I'll try my best to keep up. With the weekend coming, I'll have a chance to write a few chapters in advance. So far, I've just been writing and uploading immediately, meaning there's been no editing and I have to write everything at once. I sit down, and I don't move until the chapter's done. It's pretty exhausting, actually, so I'll try be a bit more organised about this!**

**Once again, thanks for reading! Rate and Reiew**


	5. Chapter 5

**5. Sewer Chase and 'Complications'**

Natsu ducked under low-hanging street signs and navigated the streets with inhuman speed. Lucy almost ran into walls at some of his sharp turns, barely managing to slide around the unforgiving stone in time. Deeper and deeper they sprinted into the heart of the city, following nothing but a scent. Happy had caught up to Natsu, and was flying right next to his shoulder, showing no sign of physical exertion whatsoever. Lucy, puffing her lungs out, felt a surge of envy. The exceed was still carrying the large, paper-wrapped fish in his arms, though the paper was torn at one end and it looked a little shorter than before.

"Are we getting any closer?" she huffed, narrowly side-stepping a large, rotten crate.

"The smell's getting stronger, but… It's leading further down."

Without any kind of prior warning, Natsu's fist burst into dazzling flames, with flickers of electricity streaking through the blaze. He skidded to a stop, and Lucy almost ran into his back. "Natsu! What the hell are you- GAHH!"

"Iron Fist of the Thunder-Flame Dragon!" he roared, smashing his fist into the ground. The cobbled stone of the road blew apart with a deafening boom. Bits of rock shot in every direction, missing Lucy by inches. A smoking crater now squatted in the middle of the street, leaving bare the intricacies of the town's sewer system.

"Hurry up! We need to keep moving," Natsu yelled, dropping into the filthy water, and running off in the same direction as before. Lucy watched, unable to form words. She blinked for a moment, processing the damage.

"Y-you IDIOT!" she screamed, before jumping down herself, and promptly slipping and falling on her ass. Sewer water splashed all over her, and she shrieked in horror. The stench was foul, even worse than the fish markets. "When I catch you, I'm going to kill you, Natsu!"

Scrambling to her feet, she ran off in pursuit of the dragon slayer, rage pushing her onwards. The water was thick and sludgy, if it could be classified as water. Lucy could feel stray droplets spray onto her legs and slide down into her boots. Every bead was more revolting than the last.

Natsu was just ahead; she could see his scarf flapping around behind him. She had a lovely little fantasy playing in her head where she caught him by that same scarf and strangled him with it.

"Hurry up Lucy! He's just ahead- I smell it!" Natsu called from up ahead. Lucy let out a growl, before reaching for her keys. Aquarius would not be happy about being summoned in a sewer. In fact, she'd probably slowly and painfully dissect Lucy after washing everyone away with a torrent of pure, undiluted rage. Lucy shivered, before pulling out Loke's key. The lion spirit was one of her stronger and less temperamental spirits, probably a better choice if she ended up in a fight. Spinning the gold key in her palm, Lucy allowed herself a small smile. She'd be out of this sewer in no time!

Natsu could sense a familiar aura and smell a familiar smell. He was getting closer and closer, and the trail of the ghost was getting stronger. He didn't quite know what he'd do when he caught the shadowy figure, but he didn't slow his pace. Lucy was smart. She'd know what to do.

A flicker of shadow up ahead confirmed what his senses had been telling him. It was another ghost. Now he was closer, Natsu could tell it was different from the last one. The ghost he'd seen last night smelled like dust, but this one had a more plant-like aroma. It wasn't a nice plant smell, though. It was more like mould or moss. A fungal kind of plant, rather than a garden kind of plant.

"Here! I've found him!" Natsu yelled, more for Happy and Lucy's benefit than his own. The figure kept moving, not showing any acknowledgement of its pursuers. Natsu could see a set of bars coming up ahead, marking this branch of sewer as a dead end. He smirked to himself. _Gotcha now!_

The shadow approached the bars with no change in pace. It got closer and closer, until it just passed through them. Natsu kept running, but gaped. He hadn't realised ghosts could pass through things. Though it did makes sense now he thought about it…

Without a second thought, Natsu blasted the bars away with a fireball, and continued his pursuit of the figure. This branch of sewer was nicer than the other, and there was a path on the side. The water was also much deeper. Natsu could feel it getting higher and higher, until it was splashing around his knees a he ran. He frowned; the water was slowing him down too much. He needed solid ground to run. Leaping onto the path, he continued after the shadow.

It was only a feet ahead now. Natsu could see its eyes now too, as it turned another corner. They were green, green like mould. He was gaining on the ghost, only an arm's length away. He reached out, determined to touch it. Maybe Lucy was wrong, maybe he could pull it to a stop.

His fingers passed through the cold, slick darkness, and he felt his body tremor. It was a ghastly feeling, as if he'd just been doused in cold water. It echoed through his entire body, not just resonating through his fingers. There was a tainted magic in its body, and it didn't like being touched.

After a moment, Natsu came to his senses and recoiled from the horrible feeling. His body was still tingling unpleasantly, like some kind of aftershock. His pace slowed, wary of the unpleasant sensation now.

Up ahead, he saw a faint light. It got brighter as he approached. After a moment, he realised it was sunlight. There was an exit there, and it was rapidly approaching. It looked so small though. He must be farther away than he thought he was.

Natsu could see the pipe getting a bit smaller. It was barely noticeable at first, and then became a bit more apparent when he had to duck his head to avoid the lowering ceiling.

The slimy concrete grazed his back, and he skidded forward, sliding on his stomach. The pipe tightened around Natsu, until his shoulders were finally wedged between the sides of the pipe. The shadow passed through the edges of the pipe, unhindered by its shrinking walls.

"IDIOT!" he heard Lucy screech. Natsu wiggled, trying desperately to move forward. He kicked and struggled, trying to squeeze through. He was so close, but the ghost was getting further and further away. All he could see was a speck of illuminated shadow, as the dark figure passed through the pipe that was no wider than his arm. When the sunlight reappeared, there was no sign of the ghost anywhere.

"Wait! Get back here!" he yelled to the absent shadow. "We're trying to help you-GAH!" He yelled as the toe of Lucy's boot connected with his ass. The force was enough to knock him forward a couple of inches. "What the hell was that for!?"

"For. Being. A. MORON!" Lucy screamed, punctuating each word with another kick. "Get your ass out of that pipe before I kick it out!"

Wary of the threat, he struggled furiously against the concrete grip of the pipe. Natsu tried his best to wiggle free, but his shoulders wouldn't budge. He was jammed in there far too tight. "Lucy, I can't," he whined, still kicking his legs fruitlessly. He heard her make that angry breathing noise she did when she was pissed with him.

Why didn't you stop running when the pipe got smaller?" Happy asked. His fish was gone, and he was holding something that looked an awful lot like a fish skeleton. Natsu attempted a shrug, but couldn't move his upper body. The blue exceed looked Lucy. "Is he really that stupid that he didn't notice?"

"Sadly, yes. And Natsu, for god's sakes, _explode_ yourself out for all I care! Just MOVE!" Lucy growled. Natsu could perfectly picture it in his head; she would be scowling viciously with her hands on her hips, making that same annoyed breathing noise very quietly. He didn't know why the image popped into his head, it just did.

With that picture in mind, his body erupted in flames. Lightning crackled in the air around him, and Natsu felt little bolts streak past his head.

Lucy's eyes widened, as she watching the flaming mass crackle and grow. "Oh shit," she muttered, turning and running off in the opposite direction. "Shit, shit, shit, SHIT! Happy, MOVE!" The blue cat swooped away, zooming past Lucy's head just in time.

A deafening explosion rang through the pipe, and little chunks of rock shot through the air for the second time that day. Lucy felt a wave of air knock her back from the sheer force of the blast. When she dared to turn back around, she saw Natsu standing completely unharmed. He was surrounded by the charred, smoking remains of the pipe, which was broken off at a height just above the dragon layer himself. He looked quite satisfied.

Then, he turned around and started running again. His feet hit white sand, and he bolted off to the left. Except, he had nothing to follow. As quickly as he had started running, he stopped. A frown slid onto his face. "I can't smell… It's gone."

Something smacked him around the side of the head, and Natsu was knocked to the ground. "Of course it's gone! They can't stand light! They just disappear if they come into contact with it. Didn't you realise that last night?" Lucy's hands were balled into fists at her sides. She was pink with anger.

"But it was night. There was no light other than the moon yesterday," he frowned, crawling to his feet. Lucy shook her head.

"Weren't you paying attention to your surroundings? It was the light of the streetlamps that scared it away last time. We were in the dark station at first, and then we ended up on the beach, in the full glare of the lamplight. This time, the ghost was navigating the sewers to avoid daylight, but when the sewer came to an end, it was forced outside. The sunlight made it vanish." Lucy explained, exasperated. "Do I have to give you a crash course in spirits?"

Natsu thought for a moment. "Yes," he answered slowly, before being knocked in the head again. To his credit, he stayed on his feet.

"Ok, then that'll happen when we get back to White Shore Cabins. In the meantime, your thoughtlessness has actually led us somewhere useful." Lucy pointed to a nearby cliff, where Natsu could see a very tall, very rickety-looking house. He cocked his head.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"When I was questioning that old fish-woman, she said that a mage was abducted when the ghost-sightings began. That's where he lived. I think we should have a look around there for anything suspicious. Since he disappeared at the very start of the ghost-sightings, there's a chance he might be involved in the summoning of those spirits. Now c'mon, let's go do something useful."

Lucy started off towards the cliff, eyes set on a narrow path leading up the rocks. "Out of interest, what would you have done it you caught up with the ghost?" she asked Natsu. He frowned in response.

"I did catch up with it, but it was weird to touch, so I let go. I thought you'd know what to do, but you were too slow and then the pipe got all squishy."

"Why would you try and touch it? I told you that those things had no physical body!"

"I don't know. It just seemed kind of dumb. Why wouldn't something have a body?"

"Because it's a _soul_, Natsu. I explained this to you yesterday."

"Yeah, but you always say weird stuff like that. Sometimes I don't listen."

"It's true," Happy added. "Lucy's a freak."

"You don't listen to me, and then you ask dumbass questions that I've already explained to you!" Lucy fumed. "I don't know why I put up with you two!"

"I know the answer to that one!" Natsu grinned. "It's 'cause we're a team. Simple!"

* * *

Hesitantly, Lucy rapped on the front door. It looked like someone could blow it over with just one breath. She waited for a moment, hearing nothing but silence. She turned to Natsu and Happy, who were staring intently at her. She pressed a finger to her lips, and pushed open the door. It squeaked and creaked beneath the pressure, sweeping a great arc across the tarnished linoleum floor.

Inside, there was an old wooden counter decorated with old books and charms. A disturbingly lifelike sculpture of an enraged wolf crouched next to the table, glossy, white teeth bared. Lucy was astonished at the sheer quantity of stuff condensed into the one, small room.

"Lucy, I don't like this place," Natsu muttered. "I smell something here, something weird."

"That's probably a good thing," Lucy replied, browsing the array of magical scripts and books displayed in a towering bookcase. She ran her fingers over the spines of the books, analysing each title and character. "Can you pinpoint where it's coming from?"

Natsu nodded, pointing a finger upwards. "There's something directly above us, and it's not friendly."

Lucy froze up. "Alive? Or just magical?" she asked, reaching for her keys. She unhooked Loke's key from her ring, just in case.

"Alive, definitely alive," he growled, glaring at the ceiling. "We should go find it before it finds us." Happy flew onto Natsu's back, hugging his neck.

"Natsu, it's creepy in here," he whined, shaking slightly. "Do we have to go upstairs?"

"I think so," Lucy murmured, gripping the gold key like a life preserver. "Natsu, lead the way?"

He nodded, and began to scale the dusty wooden stairs. Every step was marked with a screech from the aged floorboards. The shrunken heads hanging from the banister didn't help the suffocating air of creepiness. He could feel Happy quivering against his back, utterly terrified.

As Natsu reached the second level, he sensed a strange kind of magic, pulsing and throbbing like a heartbeat. It wasn't the ghost magic, but it was equally dark. He took a deep breath, before moving towards the source of the magic. He came to an abrupt stop when a high, cold voice rang out from the top of the second staircase.

"Well well, look at this. Complications."

* * *

**And, there we have Chapter 5. Prepare for a fight! It's been a while since I've had a chance to write some good, old-fashioned, magical violence.**

**As always, thanks for the feedback. Every little word is appreciated. Hell, even if you just post 'potato' as a comment on the story, it'll be appreciated! Maybe not as much as a detailed review, but hey, I'm not picky. I'll still consider you as a super incredible human being.**

**Forming any more theories about what's going on? If so, feel free to post them!**

**Thanks for dropping by!**


	6. Chapter 6

**6. The Hired Muscle**

Natsu's fists burst into flames, aimed threateningly at the newcomer's head. He could hear keys jingling, and knew Lucy was just behind him. He glared at the figure in front of him, ready to let fly at any given moment.

The man was very tall and very thin, dressed in all blacks. Straps of leather wrapped around his legs and arms, buckled over the top of loose, black clothing. Each leather strap fastened something to his body. There were knives strapped to his upper arms, and small, silver vials lined his arms like bullet cases. There were some items Natsu didn't recognise, like the red strip of metal bound to his leg. It was covered in dark, swirling runes that were constantly moving and changing. He looked like a living weapons arsenal.

"'Complications', huh?" Lucy murmured, matching Natsu's glare. "Just who the hell are you?"

"Who am I? You stole the words right out of my mouth, beautiful," the man smirked, descending the stairs one step at a time. "I wasn't told about any opposition. What a pleasant surprise."

"Answer her question already, creep," Natsu spat. How _dare_ that guy talk about Lucy like that? He was furious.

"Calm down, pinky," the man sighed, reaching the bottom of the stairs at last. He looked bored.

"_Pinky_?" Natsu growled. "I'll snap you in two!" He vaguely felt Happy release the pressure on his neck and drop to the ground. The exceed took his place next to Lucy, staying out of the reach of any impending violence.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Before you know who I am? My my, that's a bit rash."

"Then tell us already so I can hurry up and kick your ass!" Natsu shot back. Lucy was directly behind him, glowering at the man. She didn't like this sleazebag one bit.

"Me? My name is Redclaw, but I'm just a bit of hired muscle. All I want is a few, well, _components_. But, If you are who I think you are, we might have a little trouble, Fairy Tail mages."

"Yeah, well I'm all about trouble," Natsu growled. He felt a hand fasten over his shoulder, holding him in place. Lucy stepped forward, still gripping him in place.

"Those components wouldn't happen to consist of sanguis ink, living vapour and the bones of a legendary beast?" she asked, keys in hand. The hit man smiled.

"So, you read the spell book then? It seems you _are_ going to be a complication. No matter, I know exactly how to deal with complications," he said, taking a step back. Taking a deep breath, the man focused on the two mages in front of him.

Then, the weapons strapped to his body slid out of there straps, and started orbiting the man like moons.

Lucy's eyes widened as she realised what was going on. "Natsu, duck!" she yelled, slamming both their bodies to floor just in time. In the wall behind her, the two knives were embedded in plaster, waving slightly from impact. If they'd still been standing, the knives would've torn straight through their brains.

"My magic is unique. I do not have influence over one particular area, nor the ability to conjure. What I have is a magic that allows me to manipulate my very surroundings; Movement Magic."

The man raised a hand, and an old, wooden table rose with it. He splayed his palm, and the table shot forward, aiming to grind the two mages into the ground. Just as it was about to squish them, Natsu attacked. Lunging out with a fiery fist, the table splintered and fell to the ground. Not one to waste time, Natsu ran at the man, enveloped in flames and lightning.

"Iron fist of the Thunder-Flame Dragon!"

Redclaw moved a stone statue in front of him to take the impact, before launching another knife at Natsu. It shot past his head, finding purchase in an overstuffed bookcase. The dragon slayer launched hit after hit, being blocked each and every time.

"You can't beat me. I control the space around you," he gloated, landing a punch straight into Natsu's jaw. His head rocked back, before he shot a punch of his own. It was blocked by a floating book, before another book smacked into the side of his head.

Lucy couldn't watch anymore. She had to do something.

"Open, Gate of the Lion! Loke!" With a golden flash, a man with spiky, orange hair emerged. He adjusted his suit, giving a small nod to Lucy.

"Looking gorgeous as usual, Lucy," he smiled. Loke then turned to the hit man, rings gleaming. "I'll take care of this guy." He darted forward with glowing hands. "Regalus Punch!"

The glowing impact was cut off by a soaring object Lucy couldn't make out. Everything was moving too fast; there was too much inside that he could manipulate. Those two were very physical, close range opponents, and they couldn't land a single punch. If the direct approach didn't work, there was little they could do.

Natsu was being battered by books, most of which were now rapidly burning to ash. The two knives were circling him ominously, shooting forward every now and then. He was barely managing to dodge the flying blades, let alone land a hit of his own.

Loke was facing a similar issue. He was surrounded by flying objects that would barge at him from all angle. Whenever he managed to land a blow and destroy one in a blaze of light, another would take its place. Redclaw's magic seemed a lot like Bickslow's power, but without a limit on the amount of objects controlled. This guy didn't seem to have the same connection with the objects he possessed, though. Maybe, that could work in their favour.

Lucy narrowly dodged a volley of pens aimed at her skull, and tried to strategize as well as she could amongst the chaos. _He blocks their every attack; there's too much stuff in here! _She ran through her keys again. _He's blocking their attacks with the objects around him… Could I block his attacks with Aries's wool? There's only one way to find out!_

"Open, Gate of the Ram! Aries!" Lucy cried, gripping the golden key and forcing open a second gate. A young, pink-haired girl dressed in a woollen dress appeared at Lucy's side, looking around nervously.

"I-I'm sorry," she whispered, "I'll do my best."

"Aries, I need you to try and stop all of that stuff flying through the air long enough for the guys to land a hit, ok?" Lucy asked, ducking as something swooped over her head. The little sheep nodded, looking at the ground quietly.

"I-I'll try my hardest," she stuttered, before splaying her palms. "Wool Wall!" she yelled, and a torrent of pink fluff gushed from her hands. In a matter of seconds, the room was flooded with it. There was no visibility beyond the soft, pink mass, and there were no more flying projectiles.

"Natsu! Loke! Attack now!" Lucy called through the fluff. "Aim for where he was standing earlier!"

"Right, let's go," she heard Natsu affirm. "Roar of the Thunder-Flame Dragon!"

"Regalus Blast!" Loke roared. Lucy saw something flash through the pink, and heard a man yell. She grinned to herself; they'd done it!

Just like that the wool vanished, revealing a bashful looking Aries and a huge, blackened hole in the wall where Natsu and Loke's attacks had simultaneously hit. Lucy gave the Ram spirit a warm smile. "Good work Aries! You did it,' she reassured, pulling her in for a hug.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," she mumbled into the embrace. With that, she disappeared in a flash of golden light. Lucy grinned to herself, before going over to investigate the hole. She knelt by the edge, hand on the wall for support.

It led directly outside; Lucy could see the rocks of the cliff face and the blue of the ocean quiet clearly, more importantly, she saw a massive, charred crater carved into the earth. She could see a figure lying spread-eagled in the centre, smoke rising in grey plumes from his body. She couldn't tell if he was conscious, breathing or dead.

Lucy turned to Natsu and Loke, who were both breathing hard. Loke looked relatively unharmed with the exception of a nasty looking gash through the body of his suit. It didn't look like it hit skin, luckily. Natsu, on the other hand, seemed to have sustained a bit more damage. There was a small trickle of blood leaking from the side of his head and a large, purple welt on his exposed arm.

"Thank you, Loke. You can return, if you like," Lucy said, smiling softly. Loke took her hand to plant a kiss on it, and Lucy squeaked. She heard Natsu let out a small growl, which shocked her. Loke then took a step back, bowing his head.

"A pleasure to serve you, my love," he responded, before vanishing in a flash of gold. Lucy scowled at the air he'd disappeared into.

"I'm not your love!" She yelled at nothing. Shaking her messy, blond head, she turned back to her partner. "Should we go investigate?" Lucy asked, adjusting her skirt to it was facing the right way.

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, probably. But where's Happy gone?"

They looked around for a moment, waiting for the little blue cat to re-emerge. Natsu frowned. "Where'd he go? HAPPY! Happy, where are you? HAPPY?"

"Here!" a voice called from somewhere up high. Lucy scanned the ceiling, looking for the source of his voice. Her gaze settled on a small, blue lump sitting at the top of the staircase.

"Happy, are you ok?" she asked, starting towards the exceed. Natsu rushed in front of her waving his hands like an idiot.

"HAPPY! I kicked his ass! Did you see?" he grinned proudly.

"Meh. Lucy did most of the work," Happy replied, swooping down the stairs and landing neatly at the bottom. Lucy and Natsu gaped simultaneously.

"Did you just say Lucy was better than me?"

"Did you just _compliment_ me?"

Happy just shrugged, before going over to the massive hole in the wall. "Should we go check on that guy?" He got no response. Happy frowned, turning around. Both Lucy and Natsu were still shocked to the point they were incapable of speech. "Hey! GUYS! Wake up already!"

Natsu looked at the Redclaw's body for a moment, frowning. He watched, waiting for something to move. When nothing happened, he reached out with his foot, and prodded the hit man's head. No reaction. He poked it again, a little harder. Nothing. As a last test, he pulled his leg back and kicked him hard in the side of the head.

It lolled to the side, bruised and lifeless.

Lucy smacked Natsu over his own head. "Don't be a dumbass about it. The guy's unconscious, he's not going to respond!"

"Unconscious? So he's not dead?" Natsu asked, cocking his head to the side.

"No, look. He's still breathing. Remember, this guy's still a mage. He's got pretty high endurance. Anyway, we should probably take these," she said, nudging the little objects that were still strapped to his body with her own toe. The knives were still up in the building, along with at least half of the other trinkets originally decorating his body.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Natsu nodded. "So, you'll take them then?"

"Uh yeah… Why don't you? I don't really want to touch him," Lucy replied, kicking his arm again.

"Me? Why do I have to do it?" Natsu baulked. "I don't wanna touch him either!"

"Don't be a baby, take them!" she threw back, looking at the guy's body again. The remaining objects were strapped to his upper legs and neck, and she didn't want to go near either region.

"You can't talk, you won't take them either!" Natsu retorted, glaring at his motionless form.

Lucy sighed. "Ok, why don't we both do it? I'll take the ones on his neck, you take the ones on his legs. Alright?"

"Hell no! I'll take the neck, you take the legs!"

"Why won't you just take them already! Are you a chicken or something?" Lucy said impatiently.

"No, I just don't want to be touching around his dick!"

Lucy went quiet. _He's not… oblivious about all that stuff?_ She blinked for a moment, completely taken aback. This wasn't what she expected from Natsu at all. Not the anatomical knowledge or the swearing.

She then realised that she hadn't spoken for a whole minute. "Fine, I'll do the legs, jerk," she muttered, crouching down net to Redclaw's body. Thankfully, the buckles were on the outside of his legs, so she didn't have to get too close. She still didn't like it, though.

"What should we do with this stuff?" Lucy asked, dropping a thin metal club and a vial of green ooze into Natsu's palm. He just gave her a grin.

"Isn't it obvious?" he asked, before promptly setting his hand on fire. Natsu curled his fingers into a fist, and when he opened them, all that remained was a handful of ash. He let the black dust drift to the ground, before looking back at Lucy.

"Great, that's problem one solved with fire. Now, we have problem two," she said, turning to face the towering, three storey shop. "What that guy was searching for. He was after ingredients for that resurrection spell, and they must be somewhere in that house. It'd take hours to find them."

"Why can't we solve that with fire too?"

"Because that's someone's _house_, Natsu!"

"Isn't this a bit more important than that? If we burn it down, no one will be able to get whatever's inside, right?"

"Yeah, but that's not the poi- NATSU!"

A surge of fire streamed from his hand, setting the house alight. The flames licked up the side of the house, enveloping it in the blaze. Within moments, parts of the house began to fall off. Wooden boards fell off the side, burning as they hit the ground. Lucy stared aghast.

"Y-you IDIOT! I just told you not to set the house on fire!" she yelled, smacking him over the head yet again.

"Hey, I just solved your problem! You don't need to hit me," he complained, rubbing the back of his head.

"Yes, I really do!" She shook her head. "Ok, Problem two solved with fire as well, even if it was incredibly thoughtless. Can you solve problem three with fire as well?"

"Well, what's problem three?" Natsu questioned, grinning confidently.

"That guy was nothing but hired muscle, he said so himself. He has a master, and that master is pulling all the strings here. He's the one summoning the ghosts, and he's the one sending creeps like that out to do his dirty work. We have to stop him. Can you solve _that_ with fire?"

Natsu gave her a smirk. "That's the kind of problem best solved with fire, Luce!"

* * *

**Finally, a bit of action! Sorry if it's not that great, it was really awkward trying to write a fight scene with Lucy and Natsu at the same time. Plus, Redclaw was a bit of a pushover. I'll do better next time, promise!**

**Anyway, Chapter 7, coming soon! We'll be heading back to Super Happy Cabin Fun Time with Lucy and Natsu! I'm undecided as to whether I should write them a soft kiss scene, a little lime or a big, sour lemon. What do you guys reckon? At the moment, I'm leaning towards something a little lemony for our favourite pink-haired dragon slayer!**

**Once again, thanks for reading! **


	7. Chapter 7

**The votes are in; 3 for Lemon, 2 for Fluff. Since it was so close, I did a little thinking myself about the pace of character development. I think I've come to a pretty satisfying conclusion, hopefully to be enjoyed by all readers.**

* * *

**7. Sensations**

Natsu wouldn't talk to Mr Breichs. He point blank refused to speak to the old man at all, even when offered tea. Mr Breichs stared at him for a full two minutes waiting for a response, before Lucy spoke up and said no on his behalf.

The little old wan was dressed in a sunshine yellow cloak this time, and it hung off his frame like a tablecloth thrown over his back. His spectacles were balanced precariously on the tip of his nose as he listened to Lucy's story. Several times throughout her recount, he'd make her stop talking so he could readjust them into their perfect position.

She barely restrained her fury, managing to hide her withering scowl behind her cup of tea.

"So, basically the ghosts are being summoned here by someone, who'll try to use them to perform a resurrection spell. Rest assured, Mr Breichs, we'll do our best to find this person and stop them," Lucy finished, resting her hands in her lap. "We'll try tracking them again tomorrow. Natsu has an excellent sense of smell, so hopefully we'll be able to find this guy."

"Wonderful! When will you be able to bring him in? Tomorrow? The day after?" the old man asked, taking a sip from his own cup of tea.

Lucy stared at him for a moment, eyes wide. "Uh, we don't put times on these kind of things. It could take anywhere from a day to a fortnight, Mr Breichs."

The old man frowned. "But I paid extra for the S-Class service." Lucy squirmed in her seat. "Doesn't that mean you guys are better that the regular mages? So you should get it done faster? I want it done in three days' time at the longest. You people are taking up too many resources."

Lucy's jaw dropped, and Happy made an angry hissing noise she didn't know he was capable of. "We're only in the one cabin, and we didn't even eat breakfast this morning! This place is empty anyway; who are you conserving resources for!?"

"Potential customers, of course. If I am to run a profitable business, I have to take these kinds of measures-"

"Yes, yes, we heard this all last night," Lucy snapped. "Look, we'll do our best to get rid of the ghosts over the next three days and conserve your 'resources', alright?"

Mr Breichs thought for a moment, considering her words like some kind of business proposal. "Ok, that will be adequate, I suppose. Is the cat staying in the kennel again?"

"If that's no _extra trouble_ for you," Lucy said sarcastically, while Happy groaned and buried his head in his hands. The elderly manager missed the sarcasm, and gave a curt nod.

"No, we can house the cat for little longer. Thank you for your concern, Miss… uh?"

"Lucy Heartfilia," she repeated herself. He'd forgotten her name three times in the past hour. "Anyway, we're going to go to bed now. Thanks for your time," she mimicked his earlier words.

With a resounding declaration of hatred bouncing around in her head, Lucy led the way out of the reception building.

* * *

Lucy groaned as she dumped her bag at the foot of their bed. "I can tell, Happy's going to make me buy him another 8000 jewel fish for staying in the kennel another night. I know he will!"

She dropped onto the bed, eyes fixed on Natsu as he locked the door behind him and joined her on the bed. She'd done her best to clean up his wounds when they'd left Mr Harrigan's house, but he still looked pretty beat up. Lucy felt a horrible, clenching feeling in the pit of her stomach, realising it was her fault he was left like this. She swallowed, staring at the make-shift bandages wrapped around the top of his head.

Lucy let out a breath, eyes fixed to that one proof of his injury. "I'm so sorry, Natsu. I should've done something sooner. You could've been killed because of me-"

"What do you mean, 'because of you'? You did nothing but help me! Besides, I wouldn't have been killed. I'm me, remember? I'm a goddamn fighter!" he shot back angrily. Lucy was taken aback by his outburst. She looked at him for a moment, lips slightly parted, trying to put her jumbled thoughts into words.

"I-I didn't mean that you were defenceless or anything, it's just that… I hate seeing you hurt, you know?" she sighed. "If I'd thought faster, I could have stopped.." she traced her fingers over the bandages on his head, letting out a soft breath. "I could've stopped this from happening."

His hand raced up to encase hers. Looking her dead in the eyes, he gave them a small squeeze. "Why do you think it's always your fault people get hurt? It's their own actions that control that, not yours, Lucy."

She looked away, unable to speak. What could you say to that? "Don't you think people can influence what happens to others?"

"Of course I do. I know they can. But that doesn't mean that everything that happens to them is a direct result of something _you _did or didn't do," Natsu replied, in that surprisingly perceptive way of his. Lucy couldn't help but smile.

"You say the smartest things I've ever heard, you know that Natsu?" She wasn't sure who initiated it, but somehow, she was in his arms again. The feeling was indescribable; she felt like her heart was about to jump out of her throat. Everything about his embrace was so comforting. He had a special scent about him, like smoke from a campfire. It made her think of sitting by a bonfire outside, or by a fireplace in winter. The warmth he exuded seemed to mark his arms home for her; it was where she wanted to be.

She buried her head into his neck, taking in that intoxicating scent, memorising the feeling of his body against her. It was just an embrace, and yet there was so much more to it than that. Lucy found her safe haven in him, in his touch. It made her wonder again, if he felt what she felt. Did he want to hold her and kiss her like she wanted him to? Did he want to sleep with her in _that_ way, rather than just sharing a bed?

Lucy pulled back, questions swirling in her head. She could feel them bubbling up, waiting to be uttered. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Should she tell him how she felt? Would he understand?

"Do you want me to fix those bandages for you," she finally got out. No, it wasn't what she wanted to say, but it was still something to say. Better than the silence beseeching her to blurt out her true feelings.

Natsu blinked for a moment, before remembering where he was. "Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks, Lucy."

Before she could say anything else stupid, Lucy retreated to the bathroom to find the first aid kit she'd stashed there. "Good work, Lucy," she muttered to herself. "You screwed up quite nicely back there. Way to make things awkward!"

She sighed, dropping her hands to her side. "I should have said something. I should have told him." She hung her head, filled with self-loathing. "Idiot!"

Lucy finally found the little first aid kit, and pulled out a few rolls of bandages, some sterile wipes and a bottle of antiseptic. Armed with her medicinal supplies, she re-entered the room. Natsu was sitting exactly where she'd left him, giving her a small smile when she reappeared. Lucy returned it, taking up her spot next to him again.

"Ok, I'm going to take these off now," she said, pulling loose the end of the material. She began to unwind it, taking note of how soft his hair was in her fingers. It was strange for a guy to have such nice hair, but it was a good strange. She liked it.

Lucy discarded the dirty bandage, letting it fall somewhere on the sheets. She looked at his head for a moment, analysing the gash. It stretched right across his head, from the centre of his forehead to his right ear. Most of the dirt had been brushed away, but there was still a bit of grime in the cut itself. Even with her rudimentary medical knowledge, Lucy knew it was the worst possible place to have dirt.

"Ok, this isn't going to feel too great," she warned, pouring a little bit of antiseptic on a wipe. "In fact, it'll probably sting like a bitch at first. Get ready." She leaned in with the little wipe, and pressed it to the cut. To Natsu's credit, he didn't cry out. The only sign of pain he gave was a slight wince. Delicately, she swiped the little wipe over the cut. He hissed a little at first, and then went quiet again when the pain faded away. As Lucy brushed the remainder of the grime off, she felt another surge of affection for her ever-resilient dragon slayer.

Lucy pulled the wipe away, dropping it next to the dirty bandage. She grabbed the fresh roll and pressed it to the gash, wrapping it slowly around his head. She tried to be as gentle as possible, unsure how much it actually hurt. Tying it off, she pulled back to survey her work.

"That should be a little better. I'm no Porylusica, but that should do for now. Does it feel ok to you?" she asked, tracing her fingers over the warm skin of his forehead. She couldn't help it; he was addictive.

"Yeah. It feels really good, actually," he replied, eyes fixed on hers. His gaze was so intense, she couldn't think anymore. She didn't know what she was meant to say or do next. She didn't know anything beyond his name, in that moment. _Natsu_.

It was sheer magnetism that pulled her closer, an irresistible force of nature. She saw his lips move closer to hers, and leaned forward to bring her own to meet them. Her eyes fluttered shut, as she felt a light pressure on her mouth, as their lips touched together, in a soft, chaste kiss.

_His lips are like his arms_, she thought to herself. _It's so warm here, with him_. An arm wound around her waist, pressing her body closer to his. Her own fingers searched desperately for something to hold to, finding purchase on the collar of his shirt. She didn't dare let go, for fear she'd fall away and disappear.

If his embrace was indescribable, then his kiss was unbelievable. There was no way to believe how fiercely the blood was pounding in her head, or how warm and content she felt being connected to him like this. The intensity of the moment banished all thought. Right here, right now, this was the most important thing in the world.

His lips were lightly chapped, rough and firm. That pressure anchored her to the spot, the only thing keeping her planted on the surface of Earthland. She barely moved, communicating only with her mouth. Experimentally, she took his bottom lip between her own, brushing her tongue along it. Natsu made a quiet noise in the back of his throat, before responding by deepening the kiss.

His hands danced over her body, fingers feathering her waist in such a tantalising, decadent way. He was so gentle with her, touching her like she was made of glass. Each movement was slow and deliberate, as if he was warning Lucy of what he was about to do before he did it. She felt a powerful surge of emotion overcome her. This was what she'd yearned for; this touch, this kiss, this passion.

Lucy was trapped in a state of delirium by the time he pulled away, lulled into a love-induced trance. She couldn't believe he'd dared to kiss her like that, the boy… No, the _man _she'd fought side-by-side with for so long, the man she'd thought was oblivious to all things sexual.

"Natsu," she whispered, staring deep into his eyes. "You… You want… Do you want me like I want you?"

"Lucy," he murmured hoarsely, stroking her cheek with a thumb. He brushed it over her lips, as if to move in and kiss her again. "Who else could I possibly want? You're my partner and my friend, and you're the most beautiful girl I've ever known. I dunno why it happened, or when it happened, but I've wanted you for a long time."

"You really think I'm beautiful?" she asked, eyes wide. _So when he packed all of that underwear in for me… He did feel something?_ "Really?"

"Of course," he said in a matter-of-fact way. "You're incredibly beautiful. Your hair is so soft and silky, and it always smells pretty. _You_ always smell pretty, actually. Your eyes always bright and happy, you make everyone else happy too. And your body," he drew in a sharp breath. "Your body is incredible. All of it."

Natsu ran his hands down her cheeks again, trailing down to her collarbones. "Pretty face," he murmured, before tracing over the curves of her shoulders, and daring to run them over the outer curves of her generous breasts. "And these, these are perfect too. One of my favourite parts of you, actually," he added, flashing her a wicked grin that made her cheeks flush with colour. His hands travelled southwards, first in towards her slim waist, and flaring out along the lines of her hips. "A waist made for holding, and a great ass." Continuing their route, his fingers danced across the milky flesh of her legs, sending shivers up Lucy's spine. He ran them all the way to her ankles, gently massaging her heels. "Long, perfect legs as well. And, you have the most adorable little feet. How could I not want you, Lucy?"

By now, her face was pink and an unbearable longing had settled deep in her stomach. Lucy was anxious to touch him again. She'd had no idea he'd felt so much for her. She could barely breathe; it was as if her heart had swelled to the point where it was crushing her lungs. She could barely coordinate her thoughts, let alone her words. She still had to try, though. There was so much she wanted to tell him. "Natsu… I don't know what I'm meant to say. You're the only person I've ever felt this way about. You're my world; my friend and my team mate, and something more than even that. And right now, all I really want is you," she said, letting her fingers wrap around his. "Please, will you kiss me again?"

"Happily," he muttered, sealing their lips together once more.

The first kiss was a so sweet and innocent, a projection of love rather than a projection of lust. The second kiss was far needier. Lucy's hands tangled themselves in his hair, while he gently pushed her back onto the mattress. Natsu's tongue lapped her lips, begging for entrance. She gave it to him eagerly, letting her own tongue explore his mouth at the same time. It was a strange feeling at first, though still pleasurable. She'd never kissed anyone like this before, with this kind of intensity.

Natsu seemed to radiate heat. His fingers were dancing over the flesh of her shoulders, with hot, burning pressure. The feeling was so soothing and so exciting at the same time, it seemed impossible to feel so much at once. Any tension or thought simply melted away, lost in the passion of the moment.

Tentatively, a hand found its way under her shirt, rubbing soft, slow circles over her stomach. Lucy let out a pleasured sigh at the sensation. His touch, no matter how unpractised, seemed to provoke such strong reactions within her. She almost felt like her body was a vehicle that Natsu was piloting.

Her fingers slid out of his hair and knotted at the back of his neck. Lucy could feel the firm muscles moving beneath the skin, as he hovered over her. Balancing on one arm, Natsu lifted pushed her shirt up that little bit higher, just beneath her bra strap. He was getting so close to where she desperately wanted to be touched, it was making her crazy and nervous all at once.

She felt hot breath on her lips, and then cold air as his mouth left hers. Before she could complain, she felt a soft, sweet pressure up near her ear lobe, as he pressed a kiss there. Then, another to her jaw, and one more after it. He peppered her with kisses, slowing moving southwards like his hands had done just moments ago. She felt him settle at the base of her throat, and gasped when Natsu dared to suck the soft, sensitive skin there. When he pulled back, she felt the blood rush to her neck, and was stunned to realise that Natsu Dragneel had just left a hickey on her neck.

Of course Natsu, with no degree of self-control, didn't dare stop there. His kisses moved lower and lower, nuzzling her shoulder with reverence. His touch was so warm and so powerful, and with her lips free to utter those soft sounds that were begging to pass free. She moaned as his lips dappled kisses over her collarbones, and as his hands made those sensuous circles over her ribs. He hadn't even hit any of the explicit parts yet, and there was already a searing heat pooling in her stomach.

She knew where things were headed. She knew what both their bodies were yearning for, but she was still unsure. _On the first night after we… After we… What exactly did we do? Admit feelings?_

"Natsu," she breathed, stilling her exploring fingers. "Natsu, I don't think I'm ready." She felt his hands stop moving, and his head lift from her chest. He looked at her, dark eyes bright. Natsu cocked his head. She could see he was breathing heavily, just like she was. "I mean… like sex. I'm sorry, but I'm just not-"

"That's ok, Lucy," he murmured, ducking his head to kiss her again. His warm breath tickled her skin, and the pink in her cheeks deepened. "I just wanna hold you."

"And I just want to be held," she sighed happily. Those large, rough hands slipped underneath her tender body, scooping her into his arms. Her eyes drifted shut, content in his safe, strong arms. Through her contented haze, she felt her body lowered onto the soft mattress. Lucy's head relaxed into the pillow, those arms encasing her still.

Even in the highest level of bliss, one solitary question was still buzzing around Lucy's head. Leaning back into Natsu's embrace, she voiced it. "So, where does this leave us?' she asked. She spoke calmly, but inside, she was a mess. She loved him, whether or not she could bring herself to tell him that was unknown. Whether he loved her as well was a mystery too. She'd said she _wanted_ him, he'd said he _wanted_ her. She'd been so careful with her phrasing, and now she had no idea what he felt. Want, a primal kind of word, with meanings ranging from love to lust. Who could say what Natsu really meant when he echoed her words?

She stared at the creamy white wall dead ahead of her, not daring to turn and look him in the face. "Honestly Luce," he started, shifting his weight slightly. Lucy stiffened, either from fear or from the brief removal of his warm form against hers. She didn't know which. "I don't know. I've never felt this stuff before. I've never cared for another girl like this before. I don't even know what to call the feeling. But, I know what I want to be with you. What do you think that make us?"

Lucy let out a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. "Well, do you want to be... Together?"

"Like a couple?"

"Yeah, like a couple," Lucy confirmed. "I mean, only if you want to," she finished quietly, quaking with nerves.

"Well yeah, I want to. So does this make you my… Girlfriend?" he asked, brows knitting together.

With a happy sigh, the nerves disappeared, and her eyes slipped shut again. Contentedly, she relaxed into his body, moulding her soft form against his firm one. "It sure does, boyfriend."

* * *

**Well, there you have it. I've decided that the second night was a bit to early for sex, and I don't think Lucy would give herself way so quickly, even to the man she loves. Yeah, she's happy to use her sexuality as a tool to get her what she wants, but that doesn't means she's so free with her body. As for Natsu, male instincts and all, I think is view of their relationship would have a heavier weighting on friendship than lust. Yes, there will be a big, juicy lemon, and yes, it'll be on its way soon, but for now, in the words of Goldilocks "this one's **_**just**_** right."**

**If I may say, **_**Kiss from a Rose**_** might just be the best ever song to write love scenes to, even if it's only really a make out scene.**

**Thanks for reading, everyone.**


	8. Chapter 8

**8. The Trail**

When Lucy woke, there was a pungent, acrid, odour hanging in the air. Her nose twitched in distaste, before burying itself in a pillow. The arms wrapped around her waist tightened slightly, then loosened again. Through the haze of sleep, she smiled. _He doesn't want me to go_.

On her next breath, a noxious, suffocating gas slipped past the cotton barrier and into her lungs. Lucy choked to life, sitting up fast enough to break the hold of the dragon slayer beside her. Eyes streaming, she tried to fan away the thick, black smoke encasing her head. "Natsu," she coughed, shoving his shoulder. "Natsu, wake up!"

The smell was much stronger now, and Lucy was struggling to breath. Through the black fog, she couldn't tell if Natsu had woken yet or not. She gave him another shove for good luck, and she realised what the smoke and the smell was. "Natsu, there's a fire!"

"Hmm? So what?" he murmured, tugging on her arm for her to return to the mattress. She barely managed to catch his response over her on coughing fit. She scowled viciously, and punched him in the side of the head.

"Fire, idiot! Get up! Get up!" she yelled, as he groaned and rubbed his temple.

"Jeez, Luce, I heard you the first time," he complained, sitting up. He looked around, confused. "Oops," he said very quietly, so she wouldn't hear.

Lucy scrambled out of bed, unable to see anything beyond the tip of her own nose, and huddled in the coolest corner she could find. "Then hurry up and PUT IT OUT!" she screamed at him. "Eat the fire or whatever you do! I'm going to suffocate, moron!"

"Ok, ok! Don't freak out," he whined, rolling out of bed. With a wave of his arms, the flames blew and blustered, shrinking and then extinguishing. The smoke vanished, and Lucy blinked repeatedly. As the tears cleansed her vision, she saw the singed sheets. There was a large hole, ringed by black, in the middle of their blankets. It was huge; the size of a large dog, or maybe a small horse.

"H-how the hell did that happen?" she asked, aghast. She walked over to the bed, running her fingers along the burn marks. The line of blackened cotton was very thin, and it looked very precise. Plus, it seemed to have come from nowhere. There was no lamp or broken wires that could have caused the fire in those sheets, and nothing above or around the bed. In fact, now that she thought about it, the only thing capable of causing a fire in their entire room was….

"You," she growled menacingly at Natsu. He whimpered and backed away a few steps, hitting a wall. Natsu gulped.

"I'm sorry, Lucy, I didn't mean to, I swear! Sometimes it happens every now and then, it was an accident, I-"

"You set fire to our _bed_," she breathed through her teeth. Taking a threatening step towards the cowering mage, Lucy, let fly. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"GAAAHHH!"

* * *

"Ok, so let's look at the facts," Lucy said, planting her hands on the table. Natsu and Happy sat opposite her, munching on a piece of toast. The pink-haired mage was decorated with all kinds of colours the human body was not meant to turn. Red, purple, blue, even a little yellow. Add in the numerous lumps on top of his bruises, and Lucy thought she'd made a piece of human art. She didn't feel a shred of remorse either, knowing his injuries from yesterday were fully healed and that Natsu was an exceptionally durable kind of person.

"We know that the ghosts are being summoned here by some kind of mysterious figure. We don't know who they are, so I say we nickname them for the minute. Suggestions?"

Happy's paw shot into the air immediately. "Ooh! Ooh! I know! Pick me Lucy!"

The stellar spirit mage frowned. "You don't have to stick your hand up, Happy, this isn't some kind of class. I'm not a teacher."

"But you're a know-it-all, and that's kind of the same thing," he shrugged. Lucy gave him an icy glare that had little effect on the exceed. "Let's call them 'The Bogeyman'!"

"No! Call them 'Ghostface'!" Natsu argued. His voice was muffled due to the swelling of his face.

"Bogeyman!"

"Ghostface!"

"Bogeyman!"

"Ghostface!"

"Bogey-"

"Actually, let's skip on the nicknaming thing," Lucy interrupted. "We have more important stuff to do. Anyway, this person is summoning the spirits for a resurrection spell that will bring a dark mage back to life. We don't know who it is, though." She frowned, allowing a moment for this to sink in.

"During the day, the summoner uses the town's sewer system to bring ghosts through to the hotel. At night, they can just come through the town. Since the spirits are being collected here, we can assume that the spell will also be cast here."

"We also know from talking to the fish-lady that that old guy, Mr Harrigan disappeared when the ghosts began to arrive. He owned a store that sold a load of dark, freaky trinkets and black magic. It also housed several of the ingredients required to complete the spell. However, we stopped the ingredients from being collected, meaning we probably delayed the ritual for a little bit."

"Today, we need to try and track down the summoner guy, and end this once and for all. I have a really bad feeling that they've already collected enough souls for the spell to be cast, which is why they sent Redclaw after the other ingredients then; because it was the final step."

"Are we all clear on that?" Lucy asked slowly, looking from Happy to Natsu. Their expressions were perfect mirrors of each other; blank. Lucy let out a sigh. "Let's just go. Natsu, I want you to see if you can follow that smell from earlier, the ghostly one. That should lead us to-"

"Congratulations! You saved us!" a voice wheezed from Lucy's right. Her head snapped around, and she let out a squeal. Mr Breichs' withered face beamed from a startlingly close proximity to hers. Lucy leaned back as far as she could, trying to get away from the old man.

"W-what are you talking about?" she managed to squeak out. That old guy was such a creep!

"The ghosts didn't come last night! You got rid of them," he said happily, leaning in closer to Lucy. She wiggled further backward to escape his looming face.

"We didn't do anything! Besides, they might just come back tomorrow night," she protested. What was he banging on about? Daft old weirdo!

"Nonsense, Miss…uh?"

"Heartfilia!" Lucy repeated, exasperated.

"Miss Heartfilia, don't be modest. Please, come around to the reception for your reward. You and your team have done a superb job."

"B-but… Oh… ok," she said quietly. She rose from her chair, and the old man turned sharply on his heel and tottered off. She looked to Natsu, who just shrugged. She heard his chair squeal as he rose too, following Lucy and Mr Breichs.

Lucy couldn't help but stare at his cloak as she walked. Today, it was a fluorescent green that made her eyes burn. Not as bad as the yellow from the day before, but it was still pretty bad. In addition to a distaste for his dress, she also felt a growing feeling of guilt in her stomach. Was she really going to accept money she didn't earn off a man who was probably mentally disabled? She wasn't cold enough for that. She had a conscience. There was no way she could accept it.

As she was led into the reception, she made up her mind. There was no way she'd be able to live with herself if she did. "Mr Breichs, I can't take your money for a job I didn't-"

"Here," he smiled, thrusting a huge bag into her arms, overflowing with jewels. "You've done an excellent job. I'll be calling you people for any future problems I have."

"I'm sorry, Mr Breichs, but I-"

"What are you still doing here? I told you that you can go. You got your pay, what more do you guild mages want?"

"Nothing, I just-"

"Hello, would you be interested in renting a room, Sir and Mam?" Mr Breichs suddenly asked pleasantly. Lucy stuttered for a moment, absorbing the complete personality overhaul she'd just witnessed. Did he forget who they were, or did he just pretend?

Lucy didn't know how, but she found herself walking out of the reception building with the bag of jewels in hand, and a bitter taste in her mouth.

She froze in her steps, looking to her team. "We can't take this, and he won't take it back," she frowned, looking to Natsu. "What do we do?"

He looked at her for a moment, thinking hard. Then, he just shrugged. "Just leave it on his doorstep then. Dump it and let's get away from here. That old guy gives me the creeps."

Lucy nodded; partly because of the idea, partly because Mr Breichs really _was _a creep. She dropped the bag at the door of the reception, and walked away, feeling hollow and disappointed, like she'd just lost something.

* * *

Lucy, Natsu and Happy sat on a bench at White shore train station, all in equal states of depression. The stellar spirit mage sat with her head in her hands. She sighed. "This feels wrong."

"I know," Happy groaned.

"I barely got to fight at all," Natsu lamented.

"Do you think we should do something? I don't know, go on one last hunt for a spirit?" Lucy suggested. "I think I'd feel a bit better if I at least knew there were no more ghosts roaming around."

"Maybe," Natsu shrugged. "But didn't you say that you thought all the spirits were already collected?"

Lucy baulked. "You were listening to me earlier? I thought you guys were completely spacing out!"

"I was," Happy added. He was ignored.

"I always listen to you, Lucy. You say smart stuff," Natsu grinned. Lucy returned it, before leaning into his shoulder affectionately. The little blue exceed gave them a funny look, that was then replaced by an evil one.

"Lucy likes Natsu! Lucy likes Natsu!" he sung, launching himself into the air pre-emptively to avoid Lucy's wrath. It never came. She stayed, content beside her boyfriend. Happy frowned, landing back on the bench. "Did I miss something here?"

"Yes. Lucy's my girlfriend now," Natsu said cheerfully, placing a soft kiss on Lucy's cheek, which immediately turned pink. Happy's eyes all but popped out of their sockets.

"_You _have a girlfriend? When did this happen?" He freaked out, looking around anxiously. "Are we still best friends? Do you like her better than me? Will you buy me a fish? Are you two telling everyone? Why didn't you-"

"Happy, shut up," Lucy muttered, smiling. She looked back to Natsu. "So, do we try track the scent, or take the train?"

Natsu's face turned an odd shade of green at the mention of 'train'. "Track, definitely track," he groaned.

"Ok, great. We'll just see if we can find that scent again, and follow it. Can you do that Natsu?" He nodded in response, getting up. Lucy slung her bag over shoulders, and copied him. Happy who still looked slightly distraught hopped down onto the ground as well.

Natsu held his nose to the air, sniffing. Lucy watched, feeling very jumpy all of a sudden. Was she ready to chase another ghost through a sewer? No, but she'd probably end up there anyway. When Natsu stiffened, she resigned herself to once again getting soaked with sewer filth. "The smell is still here. There's a ghost, but it's not as close this time. Come one, we have to run!"

Natsu bolted off into the distance, Happy and Lucy in tow. This time around, the stellar spirit mage was determined to find the summoner and end this thing properly. This time, they were going to do their job.

* * *

Natsu's nose led him down familiar streets and across familiar beaches. The team found themselves retracing their steps from the first night they arrived. However, when they reached the beach this time, they didn't stop. The scent was strengthening, and the aura was becoming more and more apparent as well. That old, faint magic hung in the air like a fog in the early morning. It was so easy to track, Natsu was surprised the others couldn't sense it.

He could see a familiar outline of wood cabins as he approached the hotel that wasn't really a hotel. The smell was almost suffocating now. It wasn't like the other two, it wasn't even in the same class. The original two scents had undertones from environments, the kind you could find in nature. This scent was so _human_, so different to the others. It almost made Natsu doubt what he was tracking.

He vaguely heard Lucy yell something as he barrelled past the lines of cabins. They hadn't explored this far into the premises before, and he didn't understand why they hadn't. The smells from this area were tinged with magic; there had been something going on here, something strange and unnatural. Lucy had said souls were being gathered for a dark spell, and this seemed like the right kind of smell.

As a small clearing came into view, Natsu's pace began to slow. He saw a bright green cloak that belonged the horrible old man who smelled weird. Magic circles emblazoned with runes turned slowly, while green-cloak stood in the centre. Another smell came to Natsu, the smell of the 'hired muscle'. Redclaw, the asshole who'd fought him was here too. There was something horribly wrong with this.

He heard Lucy take a sharp intake of breath, before reaching for her keys. She made a soft, growling noise in the back of her throat, before approaching.

"So," she murmured. "It was you all along. I should've known from the moment Natsu said you smelled funny."

Natsu and Happy frowned, sharing look. "Lucy, what are you going-?" Natsu started, before he heard Happy yell.

"He's The Bogeyman! Natsu, that freak was The Bogeyman!"

Mr Breichs turned to them and shook his head. With a sly smile, he addressed them. "You fools should have just taken the money and left. Now, you have to pay with your lives."

Lucy held a golden key up to the sunlight, but something invisible tore it from her grip. Natsu's fists burst into brilliant orange flames as Redclaw chuckled, and her keys flew into his hand.

"Long time no see, dragon slayer."

Before Natsu knew what was going on, something smacked him hard in the side of the head. Then it hit him again. And again. And again. He bellowed, and fire exploded outwards from his body, destroying whatever had been hitting him.

Then, something new took its place, something cold and hard that slammed into his temple with enough force to kill a normal human. Natsu slumped over, unconscious. The last sound he heard was Lucy scream.

* * *

**MWAHAHAHAHA! Well? Who saw it coming? I feel delightfully evil now. We're reaching climax, people. Next chapter will be up in two days from now; meaning Sunday. There, we will have the epic finale battle, the horrific truth, and the final resolution!**

**To this arc, at least.**

**On a less psychopathic note, I will be taking a short break upon the completion of this arc. I think there are about two chapters left, so I'll finish at 10 chappies. I just need a little holiday; the non-stop writing for two weeks has been a bit of a challenge for someone with the an attention span shorter than a fingernail. I will be editing everything that is already uploaded, since I didn't bother when I first uploaded. So, I guess you guys get something out of my break as well.**

**I'll be back in about two or three weeks with a new story for Natsu and Lucy, don't you dare think this is over!**

**Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Once more, feel free to review and such. I shall eagerly read through them and feel good doing it. As a human being, I enjoy compliments, and as a human being who writes, I enjoy feedback and speculation on my work. Each little review gives me a delightful fuzzy feeling inside, like a kitten with really fluffy fur.**

**That's all.**


	9. Chapter 9

**9. Puzzle Pieces**

With no keys and no Natsu, Lucy was left defenceless. She had no chance. Nevertheless, she reached for her fleuve d'etoiles, gripping it as tight as humanly possible. Straight away, she felt an invisible force tugging at the handle. It was no harder than the men himself could pull, but Lucy was still struggling to maintain her grip.

"So, are you going to explain the whole 'master plan' thing, or am I going to have to guess it?" she hissed through her teeth. The old man gave her a sickening smile.

"Let's hear your speculations, Miss Heartfilia. If not for their accuracy, then at least for my personal amusement," he replied icily. Lucy noted that he remembered her name this time. That was the nail in the coffin for her; the proof that the feather-brained Mr Breichs wasn't a real person. There was only this cold, calculating monster.

"You were summoning the ghosts here to resurrect some dark sorcerer," she accused. "What I don't understand is why you hired us, and why you abducted Mr Harrigan."

At the mention of that name, Mr Breichs twitched violently. "I didn't lay a finger on Anton. It was _his _fault. _His_!" The old man hissed at her, looking murderous. He scowled at Lucy for a moment, before taking a deep breath and adjusting his spectacles. "But none of that matters now. Anton will be back with us very shortly."

Lucy's eyes widened slightly, as the realisation hit her. "You killed him, and now you want him back. That's it, isn't it? Harrigan is the dark sorcerer you're resurrecting!"

"I did not kill Anton Harrigan! He killed himself! Don't talk about things you don't understand, stupid girl!" he bellowed, turning an angry red. Lucy saw a flash of colour in his shadow, like the eyes of one of the spirit he'd been collecting. _Is he… Is he housing them in his own body?_

_Not only that, but he's losing control of them_, a voice affirmed in her head. _They'll tear him apart_. Lucy blinked, focusing her attention back to Mr Breichs. He had regained his cool, temperament again, but she knew the fury hadn't ebbed away just yet. He was going to torture her when the conversation ended.

Lucy's heart raced. "Regardless of how it happened, he's dead now, and you want him back. I know I'm right," she said, looking him dead in the eyes. "You used your magic to call the spirits here for the spell. The rest of the reagents were in Harrigan's shop; you thought they'd be easy to get. But burnt it down," she frowned. "How did you find the components? They were all so rare too."

Mr Breichs gestured to Redclaw, who gave a wicked grin. "This man is not as foolish as he looks. He knew he couldn't beat you, and waited until you left. He rescued the ingredients before the house burnt down." He gave Lucy a shrewd look. "That was quite vague, Miss Heartfilia. Allow me to fill you in before I kill you and your friend here," he said, nodding to Natsu's motionless body. Happy was crouched next to him, poking his head and whimpering. Lucy felt a lump grow in her throat.

"Anton and I studied the dark arts together. That spell book you saw, it doesn't contain just the one resurrection spell. It's a vast collection of magic far more powerful than a puny mind like yours could comprehend. It took years to translate the runes and track down the ingredients required, but we managed to cast several of the incantations in the book."

"However, things went horribly wrong when Harrigan tried to cast one on his own. He was not strong enough to withstand the magical strain. It tore him apart, and I was left to pick up the pieces," Mr Breichs said bitterly.

"We'd encountered the resurrection spell early on in our studies of the book, but it was useless to us at the time. Now, I had to try cast it myself to bring him back. I would've left him in the land of the dead, but I need him for my own exploration of its magic. You see, the original spells require a huge amount of magic, from more than one person. When we've tested the spell out, we can simplify it into less draining forms, but only after we have an understanding of it. Casting those spells in their original form on your own is a death sentence."

"I simplified the runes to this spell without casting it first. With my intellect, the translation was flawless. Nevertheless, it's not an experience I wish to repeat. The fool was always making it hard for me," Mr Breichs muttered, sneering at Lucy as if it was Harrigan standing there.

Lucy had noticed that the pulling sensation on her whip had lessened. Redclaw was glaring off into the distance, looking incredibly bored by the old man's tale. His lack of concentration could be the opening she needed. While his focus was otherwise consumed, she had the chance to steal her keys back, if she moved fast enough. Except curiosity was begging her to listen to the end of Mr Breichs' story, and she didn't want to interrupt him just yet.

"It still makes no sense," she frowned. "Why did you hire us, if we're an obstacle? In fact, why did you give us the book that told us about the spell?"

"The answer to your first question is very simple, actually," the old man grinned. "Truth be told, I'm not Alexander Breichs. He was killed after sending out that god-damn help flyer to all those guilds. Stupid old man saw the ghosts flitting around his cabins at night and was terrified. He went searching for a cause, and stumbled upon the spell book." He let out a sigh, while Lucy struggled to breathe evenly. This man was not just a monster; he was a killer. "I thought I'd hidden it so carefully, buried in the earth where the ritual would be cast. Needless to say, he found it, read it, and called for help."

"But on the sheet it said that he found it in the base-" she started, before being cut off.

"He _lied_, Miss Heartfilia. Stupid coot thought it sounded less credible or something. I don't know. I didn't write it with him. The point is, the sheet he sent out caught the attention of the magic council. The mention of an '_ancient _evil' drew them like a moth to a flame. After that, it would look incredibly suspicious to withdraw the form. Besides, stupid mages are easier to deal with than stupid council members."

"As for the book, well, I had low expectations. I didn't realise one of you would have the mental capacity to read and understand the spells. That was my mistake. I still had to give you it, of course. It was mentioned in the notice."

"What, you didn't think to use a decoy?" she asked furiously. _Low expectations of Fairy Tail? We'll change that…_

"I told you, I didn't think you muscle-heads would be capable of comprehending such a refined script. There was no point in a decoy."

Lucy ignored the jab. There was still something bothering her. "You're not Alexander Breichs," she said slowly, looking him dead in the eyes. "Just who the hell are you?"

"I was waiting for you to ask that Miss Heartfilia," he cackled, raising his right hand. Thick, black smoke seeped from the bottom of his violently green cloak, rising upwards to obscure him from view. "Question time is over! Time for your end, and my brother's return!"

"Brother," Lucy murmured to herself, before snapping back to reality. Then, she cursed loudly and tightened the grip on her fleuve d'etoiles as the tugging sensation resumed. With a horrible, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, she realised that her window of opportunity was gone. She had no way to get her keys back now; she'd been too enraptured in the story.

The second Mr Harrigan was barely visible through the smoke. Lucy could just make out a rough silhouette if she squinted, but there was something wrong with it. It seemed to be getting taller and changing shape. Lucy watched in shock as shoulders broadened and arms lengthened. There were loud cracks as bones realigned and adjusted, accompanied by the occasional grunt from the evolving shadow. It was a horrific and unnatural scene that gave Lucy the urge to gag.

Then, it the silhouette froze, and the smoke thinned. Clouds of the stuff billowed into the air, leaving behind a young man who looked nothing like the old Mr Breichs. He was built like a prize boxer, heavyset and towering over Lucy by at least two feet. Despite his tremendous physique, he was dressed like a gentleman, in a navy blue suit and shocking green tie the same colour as his original cloak. His hair was a cold, crisp white, and was long enough to be tied in a ponytail at the back of his head. The most shocking feature, however, were his wild, orange eyes. They were not the eyes of man; they were the eyes of an animal.

Lucy took a shallow breath, bracing herself for a fight. "I see now," she muttered, taking a slow step backwards. "Your magic is illusions. If I'm right, you created the illusion of some kind of dimensional gate to draw spirits towards this area. That bag of jewels was an illusion too, wasn't it? Your body has been tricked into thinking it can house those spirits. That's where they're all being stored," she breathed, trying her best to hide the horror she was feeling. This man was the equivalent of a human prison.

His lip curled. "Smart girl. If only you were that little bit brighter, Miss Heartfilia. It could've spared your life." Lucy growled low in her throat.

"So much talk of death, and what have you done so far? Explained your evil plot? Taunted me?" she said, mustering as must strength to her voice as possible. She had no idea where the words or the nerve to speak them were coming from. What threat did she pose here and now, with no keys and nothing but a whip to her name?

Lucy was not a tank like Natsu. She couldn't take the hits he could, or fight an opponent purely on physical strength. Her power came as support to the stronger mages, and through the strength of her mind. Her brain could not help her here, she knew that. It would take something more than that, something she didn't have right now.

It would take Natsu to win this fight.

Nevertheless, the flow of shimmering, blue magic and light leaked from the end of the whip, forming a long, starry rope at Lucy's will. She had to try. The man in front of her just gave a sinister chuckle. She fought back a shiver.

"I didn't mean to keep you waiting, Miss Heartfilia. Let's cut to the chase." The white-haired mage raised his right hand again, and black smoke poured from his fingertips. It hung in the air, morphing into a long, slim object. The tip sharpened and widened slightly, to form a triangular arrowhead that told her it was a spear. Another quickly formed next to it, followed by a third.

That same right hand then waved forward, gesturing towards Lucy, and the solidified spears flew at her. Instinctively, she swung her whip to intercept. The river of stars wrapped around the spears, rolling them into a bundle. It fell to the ground exploding in a puff of smoke. Lucy gaped for a moment. "B-but it's an illusion… it's not meant to be solid!"

"My dear girl, some illusions can be frighteningly real," he laughed, waving his hand again. Then, another cluster of spears took the place of the original group. Lucy went to swing again, cracking the whip down with all the speed she could muster.

It wasn't fast enough.

Lucy shrieked as the head of a spear embedded itself in her shoulder. It vanished moments later, leaving vines of red blood to trickle down her arm. She pressed a hand to her wound, tears flowing down her cheeks. The whip fell from her grip as she struggled to stay upright. She vaguely heard Happy scream out her name

When she looked up, she saw more spears forming, and the second Mr Harrigan watching on with a sadistic grin. Her arm throbbed and burned beneath her touch, and Lucy felt her eye lids getting heavy.

When the next group of spears launched themselves, she threw herself to the side, escaping all but one of the projectiles. When the second spear pierced the soft flesh of her thigh, she didn't even feel it. All she could see was the blood, gushing away.

A final cluster of spears were forming above her. She could see the smoke like black clouds, swirling above her. They were changing so slowly this time, as if to taunt her. Lucy blinked dazedly at them. She felt so heavy, like she was locked to the ground. The ground was nice, in a way. It meant she didn't have to get up anymore. She could just lay there a little more, rest like she badly wanted to.

Then, for a fleeting moment, her sense returned. The spears sharpened and changed, ready to bury themselves in her body. Lucy's eyes snapped wide open. With her last ounce of energy, she screamed.

"NASTU!" She shrieked in pure desperation. "NATSU, HELP ME!"

Everything was in slow motion, in those few seconds. The spear tips descended, while Lucy lay, locked in place. They were coming closer and closer, and her eyes squeezed shut, bracing for impact.

Something bright and hot shot past her head, and she managed to force her eyes open again. The spears were gone, and tongues of furious flame danced in their place. She could see him, see the man she loved standing in front of her, protecting her from the illusionist. It made her smile, if only slightly.

His entire body was burning like a candle wick. She couldn't see his face, but she could picture the look of rage. It would have been strange to see him so mad, if she could have.

"How dare you hurt her!" he roared, flinging an armful of fire at the man before him. "I'll kill you for hurting Lucy!".

More fire was thrown, and Natsu was yelling and cursing at the man. Lucy wanted to get up and help, but she knew she couldn't.

Instead, her eyes fluttered shut again, and the darkness welcomed her with open arms. The warmth of the searing flames around her assured the sleepy girl that she was safe now.

* * *

**I know, I'm a day late. Sorry! Forgive me?**

**I have no real excuse beyond laziness and a commerce test I should've studied for weeks earlier. **

**Regardless, it gave me extra time to write you all an action-packed explanation that hopefully wrapped things up quite nicely. I had always intended for Breichs to be the mastermind, but the puzzle pieces hadn't come together as neatly as planned. It took a little longer than planned, but I think the extra time helped refine it quite a bit.**

**Get ready for the big battle next chapter! Natsu's gonna kick ass for the girl he loves more than life itself (of course, he doesn't realise that yet)! Also, I think I'll write you all a little bonus chapter; Chapter 11. It will be all NaLu goodness. I want to give you guys a little bit of a present for sticking with me for the first part of this story, and I think the best way to do that is through writing you a hot, steaming plate of the stuff you really want.**

**Like the lemony-limey type stuff.**

**In addition to this, I would just like to thank everyone who has taken the time to comment and give me a little feedback, as well as putting up with my lack or editing/skill/consistency. Don't get me wrong, this is no goodbye. I cannot emphasize this enough; I'M NOT DONE WITH THIS STORY! I will be done when I want to be, and that's not happening for a while.**

**The second arc of the story is probably going to be relationship development sprinkled with small, easy missions. I want to have a little fun with Natsu and Lucy doing couple-y things and learning what it means to fall in love with someone. That kind of stuff. But I won't go on anymore because this is a damn long authors note and I'm getting sleepy.**

**Once again, thanks for everything!**


	10. Chapter 10

**10. Blazing Finale**

Natsu was functioning on a very primal level. Enveloped in flame, only two thoughts were discernible to him. As a cloud of black smoke flew towards Lucy's motionless body, he let out a ferocious growl. Fire streamed from his own body, burning away the threat. His number one priority; _protect_.

Natsu conjured flame after flame, casting them furiously at those who'd dared to harm Lucy. He heard wind gush around him, as innumerable flying objects shot at him from all directions. He could smell that asshole Redclaw somewhere close by, spiking his anger. He swung his arm out, wrapped in fire, and found purchase on the side of a face he remembered hitting only a few short hours ago. His second priority, _destroy_.

The false Mr Breichs was indistinguishable among the clouds of black smoke. Natsu could see nothing beyond the tangled wall of flame and cloud. He could smell him though, standing somewhere to his right. Natsu punched blindly through the flame, making contact with nothing but air. He had moved.

With an enraged roar, he kicked away the flames, and with them, the smoke. The green of the surrounding forest came into view. Natsu spun around, searching for the illusionist. His gaze locked on the suited man, and his fury burned even brighter. _The man who hurt Lucy_.

The bastard smirked at him, before stretching out his arm. Black clouds billowed out at a much faster rate than before. The smoke solidified into sharp, obsidian spikes that were launched repeatedly at the flaming mage. Natsu ducked under the hail of spears, burning away any he couldn't dodge. He charged at the grinning man, yet to take a single hit.

As he closed in on his target, the dark clouds change again, forming a solid wall of darkness just ahead of Natsu. A laugh sounded from the other side, as the wall grew outwards and encased the fire dragon slayer in a dome of shadow.

"You cannot beat me! My power lets me manipulate anything I wish!" the voice taunted, echoing around Natsu. The dragon slayer let out a low growl. "Your power isn't REAL!" he thundered, lashing out with a flaming kick. His foot effortlessly broke through the shadow barrier, and Natsu ran ahead.

He met the illusionist with a punch. It was deflected, caught in the oversized hand of the false Mr Breichs. His fingers curled inwards and tightened, slowly crushing Natsu's hand. With a sadistic smile still residing on his face, he twisted Natsu's arm and looked to the blond girl lying on the ground in a puddle of blood. Natsu took a shallow breath as he too looked to Lucy's battered form.

"Doesn't that look real to you, Mr Dragneel? Her body clearly thinks so," he chuckled.

"Because you fooled it!" Natsu yelled, swinging with his free hand. This time, he made contact, landing a fiery punch on the sweet spot under his chin. Natsu lashed out again, landing a hard kick in his side. The illusionist released his other hand, and Natsu let fly, sinking his fists into the man's face. Hits rained down over his body, leaving glossy, pink burns from the heat.

The illusionist struck back with a fist reinforced by solid, black smoke. It connected with Natsu's head, knocking him back with his superior strength. The dragon slayer dug his feet into the earth, coming to a stop. With another battle cry, he raced back to meet the illusionist.

"Lightning-Flame Dragon's Iron Fist!" he yelled, striking back with a huge blow of his own. The lightning and flames combusted upon contact, searing the skin of the man's cheek. He howled in pain, lashing out defensively with a solid, belt of black smoke. It smacked into Natsu's gut like a log, knocking him down. He coughed from the ground, as wet blood leaked from the side of his mouth.

Undeterred, he climbed back to his feet and charged again, slamming a kick into the fake Mr Breichs's side. The larger man was thrown backwards against a tree, and Natsu shot at him once more. Flaming fists struck him from every angle, leaving him breathless and defenceless. Any counter strike was blocked before it even got close. Natsu was unbeatable, running high on emotion he couldn't control.

With a savage hit to the jaw, the illusionist was punched through the tree, splintering the old wood. He hit the ground with a heavy thump, breathing hard. He let out a low grunt, the only sign of exertion, and pulled himself upright again. Before he had a chance to attack, Natsu slammed into him again.

The false Mr Breichs tried to release more smoke, but it was burnt away within milliseconds of leaving his hands. He yelled out as a particularly heavy hit caught him in the temple, knocking him back to his knees. He looked up at his opponent, feeling small for the first time in his life

Now, Natsu towered over him, a figure of menace. With two hands of lightning-riddled flame, he looked down on the weakened man. His once-meticulous white hair was falling in his face, glued to his skin with sweat. The navy blue suit was ruffled and torn, and his tie had been burnt away to the knot at his neck. He looked like he'd already lost. Natsu regarded him with a furious scowl, and the flames grew. They burned hotter and hotter with his fury. "You hurt her, illusion or not," he hissed. "I can't forgive that."

Raising his arms high over his head, the crackling flames swelled and grew. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Brilliant flame!' He roared, bringing his hands together. With a thunderous boom, to two flames collided over the illusionists head. His screams were drowned out in the explosion. Natsu could hear it, though, hear his pain. The cries reached a crescendo, before cutting off completely.

The fiery orange glow grew, enveloping his vision. Natsu could see nothing beyond the inside of the explosion he had caused, while the acrid scent of burnt wood hung in the air.

When the furious blaze dissipated, a different kind of smoke rose from his charred body. There were no more sounds, taunting, no more fighting. The false Mr Breichs lay in the centre of a smoking crater, defeated.

Natsu fell to his knees, exhausted. Beside him, he could see Lucy lying broken beside him. Her soft, shallow breathing filled Natsu with a happiness unlike anything he'd ever felt. She was _alive_.

He pushed aside the strands of blond hair falling over her forehead, smiling at her sleeping face. His hand cupped the side of her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Lucy let out a little sigh in response to the gesture, pressing her face into his hand. Natsu's smile grew.

"Aww, how cute," a voice called from somewhere behind them. Natsu's head whipped round. Redclaw was leaning against the trunk of a splintered tree, breathing heavily. His face was burnt, and his nose looked to be broken. Natsu struggled to recall hitting him that hard. Maybe he was just weak.

"What the hell do you want?" Natsu growled, looking up to the battered man before him.

"You fucked things up for my master. Now I don't get paid, asshole," Redclaw accused, glaring at the two mages.

"So what? You wanna fight me over it?" Natsu questioned, conjuring a small flame in his free hand. "'Cause I'll wipe the floor with you!"

Redclaw rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid, muscle-head. I know I'd lose. Just look at what happened to the Great Houdini over there," he snorted, gesturing loosely to the body in the crater. Smoke was still rising from his motionless form in small, grey plumes. "No, I just want to leave you with this."

He flicked a bit of white card to Natsu, who read over it. He frowned. "What's with the number? Is that how much you were meant to be paid, or something?"

"No, idiot! That's a phone number," Redclaw snapped, scowling at the dragon slayer. He let out a sigh. "Look, I'm out of work, and I need to get back in. That's my number, something to call if you need a 'helping hand'. Do you understand, pinky?"

Natsu looked at him incredulously. "Why would we need a hitman? We're from a wizard's guild! That's pretty much a collection of hitmen!"

The movement magician turned red; whether from anger or embarrassment, Natsu couldn't tell. "I know that, otherwise you wouldn't be here! What kind of moron do you take me for? Look, just keep the card, alright? Or at least give it to someone who might use it. You're probably too thick to use a fucking telephone anyway," he muttered under his breath. "Anyway, it's there if you need it. Or if someone else does. I don't care."

Natsu shrugged. "Fine. I'll keep the number."

"Good. You won't regret it." Redclaw began to walk away, before stopping in his tracks. "By the way, you might want these as well." He chucked something over his shoulder that jangled through the air. Lucy's keys landed in front of Natsu, a ring filled with gold and silver. "You girlfriend's keys," he said. "Figured she might want them back. Besides, they're useless to me."

With that, he turned and stalked off, not sparing Natsu a second glance. Redclaw disappeared into the forest, and didn't emerge again. His smell vanished a few moments later. Natsu looked back at the card. "Why would I need this?" he murmured to himself, turning it over in his hand. With one final confused look, he tucked it into Lucy's bag. He didn't think she'd want it either, but the asshole had said to keep it.

"Natsu?" a soft, raspy voice called. Lucy was smiling up at him weakly, eyes half-closed, he returned the smile, and leaned in to kiss her on the forehead. Pressing his lips lightly to her fair skin, he buried his head in the crook of her neck.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't there earlier, Luce," he sighed, brushing his fingers over her shoulder as gently as he could. "That asshole got me good. Then again, the other asshole got you worse."

"It happens," she said softly, taking his hand in hers. "I wouldn't have become a mage if I wasn't prepared to take a beating."

"I know," he grinned. "It's a bit of a brutal job."

"But it's worth it for the friends you make and the things you learn," Lucy finished for him. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Well, I'd make one change," Natsu said quietly, gaze settling on the huge gash on her leg. "I'm so sorry Lucy. That one was my fault. I was too late to stop it."

She shook her head. "Like hell it was. Do you remember what you said to me last night? It's not what you do or don't do that causes people to get hurt. It's their own actions. Your words were right then, and they're right now as well." She gave his hand a squeeze. "We won, anyway. You beat them, the spirits are free, and it's over."

Natsu leaned down again, delicately pressing his lips to hers. "You're so smart, Lucy," he breathed. "You're the smartest person I know."

"I'm not the smart one. Like I said, they're your words. I just spoke them," she smiled. She went quiet for a moment, deep in thought. "Shit, the book! What do we do with the spell book?"

"What book?" Natsu asked, confused. Lucy rolled her eyes.

"The book with the resurrection spell! Someone could just come along, translate it, and try to cast it again! All those spirits will be caught and trapped again if that happens."

Natsu thought to himself for a moment. Then, a wicked grin spread over his lips. "Lucy, do you remember when I said that all problems could be solved with fire?"

* * *

Happy had found refuge in a nearby tree. Apparently, when Natsu had gotten up, he'd anticipated the resulting explosions and gone to 'ride out the storm'. Lucy suspected it had more to do with his fear of Redclaw and the second Mr Harrigan, but said nothing.

The ashes of the spell book were sprinkled over the unconscious body of the illusionist. Lucy had come up with the idea, enjoying the irony of the situation. Natsu had suggested throwing him into the ocean, which he insisted was 'twice as ironic'. Lucy was about ninety per cent sure he had no concept of irony. She would have smacked him, but her shoulder was too sore.

Natsu had been very careful with her, not daring to move her until he absolutely had to. Even then, he had insisted on carrying her back to the cabin, and then to the train station. Lucy was particularly annoyed about it as the cut on his head had reopened, and he was in no condition to be doing any more than she was. She didn't complain, though. She was too happy in his arms.

The train ride was particularly rough for Natsu this time round. He was too sick to sleep, and too tired to distract himself. In the end, Lucy had to reverse their roles and baby him for two hours as they sped home.

Accompanied by a man incapable of speech and a cat who was still in shock over Natsu resting his head in her lap, Lucy had plenty of time to think about what would happen when they arrived back home. She hadn't given Erza a second though during the mission, nor had she thought about any kind of punishment she might receive from Master Makarov. She was struggling to see the benefits of taking the mission in the first place. Not only were they not getting paid, but they would be punished severely upon their return to Fairy Tail. Lucy could already envision Erza's wrath. When he mind drifted to the steel-covered fists and blades of the armoured mage, Lucy felt herself start to shake involuntarily.

So, she thought about the positives instead. Like Natsu, for one. She, Lucy Heartfilia, was now the proud owner of her very own boyfriend. Thinking about it made her head spin and her heart quicken. Natsu was something else entirely. He was a constant presence ever since she joined the guild. He would invade her room, drag her off on missions, and take her everywhere with him. It was almost as if she was some kind of accessory, an addition Natsu couldn't leave home without.

She couldn't be happier with that. She loved his company. His antics, his enthusiasm, his friendship and now his affection. Lucy smiled to herself, looking down at the boy in her lap. She couldn't say what was to come of this, but she was certain about one thing.

If he was by her side, she didn't give a damn.

* * *

**Hey, you know that horrible writer who updated two days late? You know how she was late the week before as well?**

**Yeah, I know, I'm a hopeless case.**

**I'm happy with what I wrote though. Does that make things any better? This wraps up the first little arc. There's only one little bit left, which will be uploaded tomorrow as a sorry present for being a bloody hopeless case.**

**Yup, it's the two things you've been waiting for; Erza's wrath and the bonus lemon. Yes, you read that correctly. LEMON! I've stopped holding out on you sick, little smut junkies. Get ready, it's coming.**

**Hopefully you enjoyed that little fight sequence. I was going to make it a little longer, but I wanted Natsu to dominate, and it's difficult to write a one-sided fight for too long.**

**Hope you enjoyed! Review and leave your thoughts, it only takes a minute.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Warning! Explicit content ahead!**

* * *

**11. Glorious Aftermath**

A foreboding shadow loomed ever closer. Lucy huddled behind her boyfriend, who was still green-faced from the train trip. She gulped as the blood-red hair of Erza Scarlet came into clear view. The look in her eyes was cold and unforgiving. Lucy could almost see a vision of her own demise in those black eyes.

"Er-Erza?" she managed to squeak out. Natsu started shaking in front of her. She heard a cracking noise, as the menacing woman flexed her knuckles in preparation for a beating.

"Where were you two for the last couple of days?" she asked coolly.

"Uh… White Shore?" Lucy stuttered. Her hands gripped Natsu tightly, holding him in front of her like a human shield.

'For a holiday!' Natsu added. Lucy smacked him. _Don't lie, you'll make it worse_, she screamed in her head. She could envision everything that would come next; the barrage of punching, accompanied by several painful kicks to the gut. Natsu would bear the brunt of the violence, while she would take any leftover blows. Maybe, if she was lucky, Erza would take pity on her and leave her leg and shoulder alone.

"Interesting. I don't suppose you stayed at White Shore Cabins, the location described in this _S-Class_ mission?" she replied, pulling out a piece of paper with a mission brief she had seen quite a lot in the last three days. Lucy swallowed.

"Hey, didn't we take that?" Natsu asked, looking at Lucy with a befuddled kind of expression. Lucy smacked him again.

"Shut up," she hissed. Natsu's brow's knitted together, frowning at Lucy.

"What did I say? Wait… Erza, wait!"

"That's all I need to hear," she said quietly, advancing on the two mages. Lucy squeezed eyes shut.

"AAAARRGGGHHH!"

* * *

When Lucy finally managed to hobble home, she was met with a very familiar figure lounging on her couch. Even though his body was swollen and bruised, he'd still managed to sneak into her apartment before she'd even unlocked the door. She rolled her eyes.

She'd ended up in a much better condition after Erza's beat down. Lucy suspected she'd realised that the S-Class mission was Natsu's idea; after all, he'd dragged her along on one before. Despite a lesser crop of injuries, she still felt like she'd been run over by a bus. Her leg ached, her shoulder ached, and she felt absolutely filthy. All she really wanted was a shower and a rest.

"How do you always get in here?" she asked, aghast. Natsu just shrugged.

"You have really crappy security. Also, that window doesn't lock," he said, pointing to the white-framed glass looking onto the street. Lucy stared at him.

"How did you know…? Never mind," she sighed. Kicking off her boots, she made a beeline for the bedroom. Lucy fished out her pyjamas from under her pillow, and a set of underwear she hadn't used from the massive bag Natsu had packed. She wandered back into the living room.

"Look, I'm going to go have a bath, ok? I'll be out in 15 minutes." She announced, looking to the man on her couch. He nodded.

"Ok. Can I come?"

"Grea- Wait, WHAT?" she yelped, hugging her pyjamas tight to her body. Lucy turned bright pink.

"Well, that's what couples do, right? They take baths together and sleep in the same bed all the time?"

"I-I… No! Well, yes, but, uh…." She stuttered, blushing even redder. "I'm going to have a bath now!" she said hurriedly. "Don't come in!"

Lucy limped over to the bathroom faster than she thought she was capable of. Locking the door with a soft click, she pressed a hand to her chest. She leant back against the wood, breathing hard. "Oh my gods," she muttered. "Oh my gods, he actually just asked that."

Lucy shook her head, trying to banish the thoughts that were now blooming in her mind. Namely, the visions of her and Natsu in the tub together, washing each other down, kissing, cleaning each other wounds, touching-

"Stop thinking!" she hissed to herself. Her imagination was a very inappropriate thing. Lucy's eyes were wide as she hurried over to turn on the taps. Hot water gushed out, and Lucy started to strip off. Pulling her top over her head and her skirt down her legs, she was struck with more thoughts she shouldn't be having. Like Natsu doing those same things. Then, Natsu unclasping her bra, and Natsu pulling down her panties-

"Gah!" she squeaked, burying her head in her hands. "Stop thinking, brain!" Lucy kicked her pile of clothes beside the door and quickly climbed into the bath. Her toes dipped into the warm water, sending a pleasant tingling sensation through her body. She sunk into the bath, sighing happily. The breath was cut short when her injured leg ducked beneath the surface of the water, and Lucy hissed in pain. Tears pricked at her eyes, and a hand shot down to shield it from further exposure. Hesitantly, she let it soak there for a moment, and the pain eased. She let out a low breath, dreading what her shoulder would feel like.

She relaxed into the water, letting her shoulder sink down as well. The red hot darts of pain that shot through her chest were shocking. Lucy winced and breathed in sharply. It hadn't hurt as bad, at least.

Knowing the majority of the pain was done with, Lucy let her face duck below the surface. Eyes squeezed shut, she enjoyed the feeling of the light waves over her submerged body. Lucy could already feel the tension in her muscles easing.

Lucy's head broke the surface of the water, and she sucked in a fresh breath. She reached around blindly for the wash cloth, eyes still firmly shut. She frowned when her fingers brushed nothing but the porcelain of the tub. Where had she left it?

Lucy opened her eyes and scanned the edge of the tub. _No wash cloth_. She fished around in the water for a moment, before her frown deepened. _No washcloth_. Looking up, she searched the room. Her gaze settled on the pink square of cloth sitting on her vanity. Her eyes narrowed. _Washcloth_.

Desperately, she leaned against the side of the tub, trying to reach it. She knew it was hopeless, but it didn't stop her from trying. She only had two real options. Number one, get out of the bath and get it. Number two, call Natsu in.

Her blush reappeared instantly.

Lucy shook her head. Neither option was appealing, but there was no way she was calling Natsu in. If he even took one step inside the bathroom, she'd have no control over her next actions. She'd want him to come in, and wash her back, and then wash the rest of her and then-

Lucy squealed at her own train of thought, for the third time in the last five minutes. She squealed even louder when something rapped on the bathroom door. "Lucy? Are you ok?" a voice called from the other side. "Why do you keep yelling?"

"I'm fine!" she called hurriedly. "Absolutely fine!"

"Well, ok then," he murmured. "Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked, a little louder than before.

"N-no, nothing at all… Well, yes- I mean no!" she stuttered, undecided. Hesitantly, she tried to put a little weight on her leg and hop out. She yelped as the pressure made her leg sear with pain. _It didn't hurt this much getting in,_ she screamed in her head.

"Lucy? I'm coming in!" Natsu called from outside.

"Wait, don't-"she cried, but her words were cut short. The door swung open, and the pink-haired mage dashed in. He looked around, searching for any signs of danger. After a moment, his stance relaxed and he looked back to Lucy, who had turned a very noticeable shade of red.

He kneeled next to the bath and the stellar spirit mage pressed her body into the side of the tub, hoping he couldn't see anything explicit. She silently prayed that the bathwater was murky enough to hide her from view. He frowned at her. "Why were you yelling like that?"

Lucy chewed her lip. "My leg, it's just… sore. I tried to stand up, and it really hurt," she explained. It wasn't entirely true, but it wasn't entirely a lie, either.

Natsu gave her a worried look. "Do you want me to help you get out?" he offered, gently rubbing a thumb over her shoulder. Lucy's eyes widened.

"No, that's not necessary," she quickly rebuked. "But, uh, could you please pass me that washcloth?" she asked, pointing to the pink scrap of material. Natsu gave a nod, reaching over and grabbing it. She took it graciously, giving him a nervous smile. "Thanks, Natsu."

"No problem," he said quietly, returning the smile. He watched her for a moment, saying nothing at all. Lucy stared fixated at him. His face was so close, his _lips_ were so close. She knew what he was debating. She was mulling over the same thing.

Seeming to have made up his mind, Natsu leaned in a pressed a kiss to her lips. She met him eagerly, reaching up with damp fingers to grip the collar of his signature black jacket.

His hands brushed over her shoulders, her bare back, rubbing in soft, circular motions. His touch melted her like no hot water ever could. Those hands moved gently down her sides, lingering at her taut waist, before running back up her spine and repeating the process. Tingles ebbed throughout her body, and she felt herself sink lower and lower into the depths of passion.

His tongue swiped over her lips, begging for entrance. She happily granted him access, pushing his vest off his shoulders to leave his chest fully exposed. While their mouths explored, Lucy delicately unwrapped his prized muffler from around his neck. She moved very slowly and very carefully, trying her best not to get it wet, Placing it neatly to the side, she continued their kiss.

Natsu broke the connection for a moment, pulling their lips apart. He felt her hot breath on his skin and yearned to resume their heated make out. "Lucy," he said softly, stilling the ministrations of his hands. "Do you want me to join you?"

The pink-cheeked blonde easily saw the true meaning of his words. She knew as well as he did the direction things were taking. If he got in that bath with her, she would not emerge with her virginity. In fact, neither would he. She took a deep breath.

"My back is awfully hard to reach," she murmured, planting a light kiss on his lips. He nodded, pulling back. Then, he kicked off his shoes and started to pull down his pants. Lucy forced herself to look away at this point, knowing full well he was standing naked within just a few feet of her.

"Y-you can hop in now," she stuttered furiously, staring adamantly at the wall. He happily obliged, landing in the tub with a loud splash and very little grace. He settled down behind her, and she could feel her rock-hard chest against her back, as well as his newly-awakened member. Lucy blushed even deeper.

"Where's that washcloth?" he asked softly, wrapping his arms around her. Her body was pulled even closer against his. Every part of her was touching every part of him. Lucy had never felt so close to one person before.

Lucy passed him the cloth, eagerly anticipating what came next. She heard small splashes as he soaked the material again, before running it up over her back. His touch was firm, though not too hard. It was the perfect amount of pressure.

She let out a happy sigh, leaning back into his touch. She could feel the material sliding up her spine again, rubbing circles over her tensed, sore shoulder muscles. Her eyes fluttered shut, lips slightly parted, and she slipped into a glowing state of euphoria.

He slid the cloth carefully over her neck and chest, listening astutely to her breathing. As the edge of the material was dragged over her wound, she sucked in a sharp breath, and Natsu moved the cloth to the other shoulder. He was very gentle in his motions now, and she could sense his hesitation. She smiled to herself. _He really does care about me_.

Lucy's smile morphed into a silent 'O' of shock when she felt his lips press lightly against her neck. He brushed the golden strands of her hair aside for better access, before dappling kisses across the soft flesh of her neck, her shoulders, her back. His mouth sealed around the fair skin there, and started to suck softly. She gasped, and her eyes shot wide open. He was marking her again!

"N-Natsu," she moaned, and her head rocked backwards. The washcloth brushed down lower, and she felt it slide over her generous endowments . She couldn't quite believe he'd dared to touch her like that. Then, he did it again. The cloth-wielding hand lingered on her right breast, rubbing in smooth, slow circles. As the material brushed over her nipple, she moaned. It felt so good to be touched like this, especially after the beatings they'd both taken over the past few days.

Another bold hand, free of washcloth, reached around to cup her other breast and pay it equal attention. Natsu's thumb rubbed over her left nipple, daring to give it a light flick. Lucy's moans heightened at the doubled sensations.

Heat was rapidly pooling deep in her stomach. The sensations were so much stronger in the hot water. It was almost as if a layer of her skin had been peeled away, heightening the pleasure wherever she was touched. Lucy arched her back, resting her head on his shoulder. He eagerly buried his mouth on the fresh patch of exposed neck, while she mewled in pleasure.

The feelings were building at a rate Lucy wouldn't have thought possible. The layered effect of stimulation had her making noises she didn't know she was capable of. Her thoughts were hazy, but the recurring theme was '_Natsu is damn good at multi-tasking'_.

She could feel the pressure at the base of her spine grow, and she realised he was just as turned on as she was. As the wash cloth slid over her ample chest for the umpteenth time, she decided it was time to give him a bit more attention.

Lucy straightened her back, pulling away from Natsu's touch. She rolled over, so she was facing his front,. Looking him dead in the eyes, she smiled. "You turn," she breathed, sealing their lips together in a passionate kiss.

Lucy trailed her fingers over the solid planes of her chest, following the dips and ridges. She could feel his heartbeat against her inquisitive fingers, and the rise and fall that indicated his breathing. She felt him shudder under her touch. In turn, he ran his hands over her back, sliding over her ass this time.

As the kiss grew heavier and the touches grew reached more sensitive regions, Lucy started to let herself go. There was a mounting heat in her core, and she yearned to dispel it. Her hands drifted over his hips, and she pulled her lips from his, breaking the kiss for just a moment. "Natsu," she breathed heavily. "I'm ready."

He nodded, before resuming the kiss. Strong arms snaked around her waist, and she found her body turning over in the hot water. Suddenly, Natsu was on top, and his hands were ghosting over her hips. "Luce," he murmured, staring deep into her eyes. "Are you sure?"

She nodded firmly, settling her hands on his muscular shoulders. "Certain."

Just a few seconds later, she felt a hard, pulsing pressure slide over her most delicate region, provoking a loud moan. It was cut short when the pressure increased, and she felt an alien pain in her core. His shaft pushed into her, and the searing pain built.

She gasped, and tears pricked at her eyes. The pressure grew and grew, and she could have sworn something was tearing. She whimpered, digging her nails into Natsu's shoulders. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but she could envision the look of concern on his face.

"Lucy?" he called. "I'm so sorry. It'll go away in a moment, I promise. I'm sorry, Lucy." The blonde let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, before relaxing again. He was right, the pain was leaving. Lucy's eyes fluttered open again. Natsu smiled at her. "You feel so good, Lucy."

Then he, started moving, and the pain came back. It was only slight, though, and the friction was delicious enough to overshadow it. Lucy heaved a shaky breath, groaning deeply. She felt so full, so connected to him. Nothing she'd felt before equated to these sensations. It was glorious.

Natsu thrust into her harder, picking up speed. His strokes were still tentative, but he was finding a rhythm. Lucy could feel his hot member throbbing inside of her. The heat was building fast, and there was a knot tightening in her stomach. She moaned loudly. "N-Natsu," she gasped, holding onto his shoulders for dear life. She was anchored to there by nothing more than his presence; if he wasn't there, she was certain the mounting pleasure would have her float away.

Lucy cried out as he hit something deep inside of her. Her hips bucked upwards wildly, and her legs kicked at the water. Waves were sloshing over them, seemingly in sync with Natsu's thrusts. Lucy's eyes squeezed shut and her body was lifted to a new level of ecstasy. She screamed, feeling strange new muscles contract as she reached climax.

Waves of pleasure exploded from her core, and the searing knot in her stomach unravelled into metaphorical fireworks. As she reached completion, she heard his let out a pleasured grunt of his own, and spill deep within her. It was a strange feeling, like someone had tried to pour water inside her.

Lucy leaned back into the tub, breathing fast and feeling utterly wiped. There was no words to explain the happiness or the pleasure she'd just experienced, no way to tell him what he'd just done to her body, So, instead, she pressed alight kiss to his lips, and gave him a sleepy smile.

"Natsu, take me to bed?" she begged, brushing a hand over his. He smiled at her.

"Sure, Lucy." The water sloshed as her stood up, towering over her in all his naked glory. Lucy couldn't help but admire the perfect specimen of man as he stepped out of the tub, and slid his arms under her. Bridal style, she was carried out of the bathroom and over to her pink bed. She was soaking wet as she hit the sheets, and she knew he was too. It didn't matter to her, though. Sheets would dry. For now, she just wanted to be held.

Natsu lay down beside her, taking her tired body into his arms again. Lucy let out a contented sigh, and her eyes drifted shut. She fell asleep with a smile on her face, and she was certain that he did too.

* * *

**Oh my god, they did it in the bath! Scandalous ;)**

**Well, I hope you enjoyed that little bonus. It's been a long time coming, I know. Unfortunately, this marks the end of the first arc. I will be taking a two week break to edit, write, relax, and catch up on a particularly nasty mountain of schoolwork. I have decided to o with the idea I mentioned earlier for the second arc; lots of little NaLu bits and pieces, with the occasional mission. If anyone has any suggestions or themes for a chapter, feel free to post them as a part of a review. I'm basically writing a string od inter-related one-shots for this next part. I don't really know how else to describe it!**

**On a cheesier note, I would genuinely like to say thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed and enjoyed this story. I'm actually in awe of the response I've gotten from writing this. There is no way to say how grateful I actually am. I ended up with thousands of reads from people all over the world, as well as a fabulous group of people who took the time to give me feedback over my writing. Someone actually cared to do that, and that is incredible. It had been a god damn honour writing for you guys, and I will eagerly resume writing for you in two weeks time. Thank you so much, once again. This has been unbelievable.**

**Once again, thank you.**

**I'll be back soon, my lovelies!**

**Maddie**

**EDIT! As of 3/04/13, I have changed my mind regarding the layout of the next arc. I will be posting the first chapter as a NEW STORY on 14/04/13! That means in around a week and a half's time, you will have your next NaLu fix! I'll be naming the sequel 'The Brightest Star'. **


End file.
